Danny Phantom The Ultimate Nightmare
by ShadowKingLegette
Summary: Takes place after Phantom Planet. This is sorta like a movie because everything is in sequence.
1. It's Over

"Ever since the Disasteroid Incident, life had changed a great deal for Amity Park and its residents. One, the city has become a popular tourist attraction. Two, ghosts had become less troublesome than the time before the incident... well a small portion did anyway. And three, Danny Phantom had probably become the most celebrated individual in all the world. Also, there was that whole Fruit Loop floating in outer space thing, but who cares right?"

Drifting around Jupiter for the millionth time, Vlad Plasmius shouted "I care!"

"For crying out loud...YOU DON'T COUNT! Ehm. Excuse my sudden lack of social grace. Where was I...? Oh right. I was about to tell you what Danny Phantom and his close ones were up to. Starting with Danny, he was in his second or third year of high school(idk to be honest). His grades had improved somewhat due to the fact of his teachers now knowing about the responsibilities he had taken upon himself thus resulting in the halfa having more time to study and/or make up missed assignments/tests. Oh how saving the world had its perks. Not to mention he no longer had to hide his other identity from his Ghost Hunting Parents. Which basically was a double- edged sword in his opinion. On the one hand they understood that there son was a hero. On the other hand, they UNDERSTOOD that there son was a hero. By "UNDERSTOOD" I mean overly protective and always keeping a sharp eye out for him."

The halfa in question let out a sigh before saying, "Geez... I never thought I'd prefer to have the parents that wanted to dissect and study me over treating me like a fragile little baby..."

"Its ok Danny. Once you go to Astronaut College or whatever its called, you'll be free at last."

"Thanks Shadow," smiled Danny. "That helps."

"Don't mention it. By the way, what have you and Sam been up to lately?"

"Oh right. I almost forgot that we were supposed to meet up at the mall after school today."

"What are you gonna do there?"

"I dunno. Hang out I guess."

"Sounds like fun. Mind if I come along?"

"Actually... its just going to be the two of us so..."

"What? Got a problem with Shadows?"

"No! I don't have a problem with..."

All of a sudden, Danny's Ghost sense went off and the ghost boy looked around...

"A ghost is nearby. But who...?"

In the next moment, a shadow sucker punches Danny in the face and the halfa is sent flying halfway down the hall.

"Ack!"

Shaking his head clear, Danny stood up and recognized the shadow.

"Johnny 13's shadow! That can only mean...!"

On cue, Johnny 13 came cutting down the hallway on his bike and stopped to gaze at Danny with an angry stare.

"There you are!" growled Johnny 13.

Danny transformed into his ghost self and asked, "Yeah. What do you want?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know! Shadow, fetch!"

Shadow on command motioned to attack Danny, but the ghost teen managed to evade it.

"What are you talking about?" questioned the halfa.

"Still playing dumb huh?" said Johnny. "Well fine! I'll humor you! You sent Kitty back to the Ghost Zone!"

"Seriously? You're attacking me because I sent your girl back home?"

"Exactly!"

Johnny pressed a button on the handlebars of his bike and a blast of energy fired from it striking Danny in the chest.

"Agh!" cried Danny before crashing through several walls until landing outside on the grass.

Picking himself up after a few seconds, the halfa shook his head clear.

"Note to self... his bike is tricked out. Gotta watch for that."

After shadow had returned to him, Johnny came riding through the wall in an attempt to run Danny over but the hero was quick to fly into the air.

"Hey Johnny! Didn't anyone ever tell you that there's no speeding in a school zone!"

In the middle of that quip, Danny fired a one handed ghost ray striking Johnny 13's tire causing it to blow and resulting in the biker spinning out of control eventually crashing into a tree. Upside down, the biker groaned as three Danny Phantoms approached the scene of the accident with a smirk.

"See? This is what happens when you don't have training wheels and a helmet on your head."

Dizzy beyond belief, Johnny groaned, "Always the smart little punks... aren't you... ugh..."

The unlucky numbered ghost fell unconscious. Danny reached behind his back to grab his Fenton Thermos but it wasn't there.

"Oh right," he said. "I left it at the lab."

"Well you could fly him back to your place and throw him into the ghost portal," suggested Shadow.

"What about his bike though? I'm not sure I want to leave it hanging around here."

"Destroy it."

"I can't do that. He'll just come back and try to kick my butt if I did! Except he'd be a lot angrier."

"Call your mom and dad."

"You kidding? Don't you know what time it is? They're in the middle of watching their Soap Operas. They definitely wouldn't want to miss The Ghost and the Lifeless or The Ghoul and the Frightful. You'd have better luck jumping into a lake and not getting wet."

"Wake Johnny up with a bucket of cold water and ask why he attacked you...?"

"Now you're speaking my language."

Danny flew off into the school and returned a minute later with the bucket of ice cold water.

"Wakey wakey!"

After the splash, Johnny awoke instantly.

"W-what t-the...!?" shivered the unlucky numbered ghost.

Focusing on Danny, he raised a suspicious angry brow.

"D-did y-you j-just t-throw a-a b-bucket o-of w-water o-on m-me!?"

Raising a finger with a smile, the halfa answered, "Technically, I threw a bucket of ice cold water on you but yeah."

"Y-you're g-gonna p-pay f-for...!"

Johnny was about to attack again but Danny put his hands out in front of him.

"Hold on a second Johnny!" pleaded Danny.

The ghost biker halted but was still angry.

"Um... tell me why you're mad about me sending Kitty back to the Ghost Zone?"

Johnny narrowed his eyes at the halfa without a word.

"Look. This isn't the first time I sent her back so what gives?"

Johnny's anger died down a bit and he asked, "You're serious about not knowing aren't you?"

Danny nodded.

"Man, when was the last time you've been to the Ghost Zone?"

"Its... been a while."

"Basically you're the third most infamous ghost."

"Infamous? What does that mean? Besides the regular definition of the word."

It means you're third in line behind Pariah Dark and that ghost of time dude."

"Third in line?"

Ignoring Danny's question, Johnny continued with, "And not only that, all the babes talk about how cute and strong you are. Ever since your last run in with Kitty, she keeps yammering on about how you can do this and how you can do that while complaining that I should be more like you. She even tried to dress me up like you once. No way was I gonna do that. I'd rather rot in Walker's Prison for the rest of my afterlife."

Johnny folded his arms and looked away in the middle of that last sentence. Seeing his bike, he groaned.

"Great... my bike's totalled..."

The ghost biker went over to his bike and studied it up and down.

"Well at least I can get back to the Ghost Zone. See ya kid."

Johnny mashed the instant portal button on his wrecked bike and proceeded to drag the heap through it.

"What did he mean by third in line?" thought Danny aloud.

"Might I suggest... I don't know... you get back to class?" recommended Shadow.

"Right... Thanks."

Danny turned and flew off into the school building.

Later that day after school, at the food court in the mall, Sam waited for her halfa boyfriend to show up.

"All right Sam. You can do this," muttered the goth girl. "Just breathe... Phew. Okay that's better... I think..."

"What are you, pregnant?" asked Shadow.

"I'm not in the mood Shadow. Keep your comments to yourself."

"Seriously, are you preg...?"

"I SAID SHUT IT!"

The people around the goth girl stared at her like she was crazy and she picked up on it right away.

"Nothing to see here. Just um... practicing lines for a school play."

The goers continued about their business.

"Oh and here comes Danny," warned Shadow.

"I told you..." started the goth girl in anger before questioning with, "Really?"

She looked around and noticed the halfa walking over.

"Sorry about being late," apologized Danny as he closed the distance and pecked her on the cheek like he normally did. "Had to stay after school for some extra credit."

"Hey, no need to explain," said Sam waving it off. "I understand."

"So what do you want to do first today? Go to the arcade or get a bite?"

Sam looked down and frowned.

"Actually..." started the goth as she suddenly found it hard to look him in the eye while rubbing her arm. Not only that but it became difficult to say what was on her mind.

"Sam?" called Danny confused.

"I think... we should..."

Sam winced.

"Should what?" asked the halfa.

Sam let out an deep sigh and looked the teen boy dead in the eyes before saying, "Call it quits..."

Thinking his ears had played a trick on him, Danny had to ask her, "Did you just... break up with me?"

Sam closed her eyes and nodded somberly.

"I um... wow. But I thought we were um... in a good place."

"(I'm sorry Danny...)"

"So... why? Did I um... do something wrong?"

"(I'm so sorry Danny...)" thought Sam as she shook her with closed eyes.

"Then, what is it?"

"(I'm so so sorry Danny...)"

His eyes had begun to water the same time tears traced their way down the goth girl's face.

"Sam... please tell me," begged the halfa.

Sam turned around trying to fight back the oncoming emotions she was feeling.

"I'm begging you Sam."

Danny wiped his eyes dry trying to compose himself the best he could.

"Please I-I... need to know why."

"I love you Danny but..." she started as she wiped her eyes dry. "...we're two very different people and..."

"And what? We're different? Is that it?" questioned the halfa as he wiped his eyes dry before countering with, "Well, we were best friends and that didn't stop us from hanging out."

"I know but being friends and being in a relationship are two different things. And besides, look at your parents."

"My parents?"

"They're two peas in a ghost hunting pod and their marriage works because of it."

Hearing that made Danny want to argue that point with her. But he couldn't because she was right. His parents both had mutual common interests with one another involving ghosts.

"Even my parents, as snobbish as they could be, share common interests."

Danny shook his head trying to reject logic and reason.

"No... I... its... we...!" attempted Danny trying to form a complete sentence but nothing came. His eyes had glowed green for a brief second before returning to the pleading normal light blue. A thought came and he started to say, "C'mon Sam, we can at least try..."

"I have... for months," said Sam shooting down his idea. "But you're you and I'm me. In the end..."

The goth girl dried her tears once more.

"I can't ignore this anymore or fake being..."

"Happy?" the halfa cut in with his heart tearing to pieces. "Are you saying you're not happy with me?"

"No, I enjoy being with you Danny," Sam said with a warm smile. "I can't imagine a day where I don't imagine you as part of my life. But..."

She looked down at her feet as her smile faded.

"...I can't fake being the right girlfriend for you."

"Sam..." started Danny trying to reach out the a hand but the goth girl walked away before he could touch her.

He stayed there for a long time after she left.


	2. Follow The Leader

Returning home, the halfa quietly phased through the window to his bedroom in order to not let his parents know that he was there. Changing back to normal Danny Fenton, the teen collapsed onto his bed and began crying his heart out into his pillow.

"Its gonna be alright buddy," comforted Shadow. "There, there."

"Just stop Shadow," muffled Danny. "I don't need you to pat me on the back like I'm a cat. No rhyme intended."

"I know but sometimes it helps. Also, aren't you forgetting about something?"

"What?"

"What Johnny 13 told you? About you being infamous?"

"Right now, I don't really care to be honest."

"C'mon. I know you're hurt and all that but that doesn't mean you can't preoccupy your time by doing a little investigating. Who knows, you might even forget about Sam."

"What are you saying!? I don't want to forget about Sam! I still love her!"

"I meant that you won't have to think about the pain of the breakup. Not Sam. Sorry for not clarifying."

Danny sniffed again and picked up his head from the pillow before muttering, "I guess I could investigate..."

"You guess? What happened to the confident ghost boy who didn't give up in the face of a powerful ghost king, an evil futuristic version of himself, and a Disasteroid? Is he not here in this room?"

"I'm..."

"I'm what? I can't hear you."

"I'm here..."

"What was that? You're gonna have to turn the volume up buddy boy."

Danny raised his tone.

"I said I'm here," said Danny raising his tone.

"Who's here?" questioned Shadow before saying, "I must must be hard of hearing or something."

"I SAID I'M HERE! ME, DANNY FENTON!"

"Would you look at that? He does exist after all."

From downstairs, a masculine voice yelled, "Danny?!"

"Are you home sweetheart?!" followed a femine voice.

"Whoops...!" said the halfa jumping out of bed. "I better get going!"

The boy transformed into his ghost self and flew down to the lab. Maddie and Jack Fenton busted his room door open seconds later. Spotting no one, they shrugged at one another.

Down in the lab, Danny flew over to the door and mashed the open button next to the portal. Once he saw the green dimensional distortion, he passed into it without hesitation.

Meanwhile over at Sam's place, she was in bed looking at old pictures of Danny, her, and sometimes Tucker together. Occasionally a tear or two would fall onto the photos.

"You're not looking too good," stated Shadow.

"Geez, what was your first clue Shadow?" asked the goth sarcastically. "The water coming out of my eyes or the mopey look plastered across my face?"

"And here I thought goths weren't supposed to feel anything."

I don't wanna deal with you right now... just go."

"Nope. You're stuck with me for the time being."

"Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"Because Shadows don't leave. We're loyal to a fault miss 'I Broke Up Because We're Different'."

"You think I wanted to do that?" responded Sam with a scowl.

"Hey, I just go off of the information presented to me and react accordingly. Example, you broke up with Danny and told him it was because you were two different people."

"Well yeah that's true but I'm still loyal to Danny. Just not as a girlfriend. If he ever needs me, whether it be in ghost fighting or a shoulder to cry on then I'll be there to help him through it."

"And if you so happen to change your mind one day and want to get back together what will you do then? What if he rejects you? Or what if he is with somebody else? Can you be the supporting friend and not the jealous ex?"

"I want to say yes but..." answered Sam before looking to the pictures. "Look, I can't say for sure if I'll change my mind one day, or if I'll support his relationship with another girl, but I do know that right now, I'll be in his corner as a friend."

"And if he doesn't want to be your friend anymore?"

The goth girl remained silent.

"Sam?"

She looked away before answering with, "Then... I'll just have to accept it. But I'll keep an eye on him from afar."

"Well look at you being established with that newfound resolve. And stalker much?"

"I am not a stalker," stated Sam with folded arms and her head held high.

"That's too bad. If only there was a goth around here who cared enough to stalk her halfa ex- boyfriend who could potentially be in mortal danger."

Sam's ears tingled at the last two words of Shadow's sentence before she asked, "Is Danny in trouble?"

"I said 'could potentially be in mortal danger' Sam. Not that he was in any at the moment. And besides, you're not a stalker so why waist my time telling you?"

"STOP BEING A SMARTSHADOW AND TELL ME!"

Sam's mom Pamela Manson busted in the door and asked, "Is everything alright Samantha?"

"Whoops...! I was just um..." uttered Sam as she tried to think up some explanation to get her mother off of her back but it wasn't necessary because Shadow whispered words in her ear. So she repeated aloud, "Thinking... about... trying... on... the... new... dress... you... bought... me... so... I... can... wear... it... to... school... on... Monday?"

Sam's mom smiled at the statement her daughter made and ran over to hug her.

"Finally!" beamed Pamela. "You're making some progress as a mature young woman!"

"Yes... I am..." responded the goth sarcastically but her mom didn't pick up on it.

"You don't know how proud this makes me!"

"If you choking the life out of me isn't a clear picture then I don't know what is..."

Pamela let her go and left the room with a pep in her step. As soon as the sound of her footsteps were well off, Sam groaned, "Thanks for that Shadow. Now I have to surrender my goth independence for a day..."

"I'm not the one who yelled at the top of my lungs," pointed out Shadow.

Sam would have argued the point but Danny was more important so she let it go.

"Whatever," said the teen. "Just tell me where Danny is."

"The Ghost Zone," answered Shadow. "But you'll have to be sneaky about getting in there. His parents are clueless about it."

"Aren't they always?"

"Fair point."

Without waiting any longer, Sam jumped up off the bed and made her way out.

"Meanwhile, inside the Ghost Zone, our halfa hero flew about the creepy greenish spooky zone." narrated Shadow.

"Halfa hero?" repeated Danny.

"You no like?"

"It doesn't sound right."

"What do you suggest? Teen Titan?"

"Funny, but no. And what's with the alliteration?"

"Happy coincidence. Anyway, where do you plan on going first?"

"Clockwork."

"Seriously? Why bother him?"

"He practically knows everything."

"Does he know my real name?"

"Dude, I don't even know your real name."

"And you never will. At least not today."

Passing by a particular ghost door, the halfa failed to notice who was exiting out of it. It was none other than the ghostly pop princess Ember Mclain.

"Wait until the humans get a load of my new song," she smirked. "They'll be cheering my name all year long. I'll be more famous than that dip..."

The flame haired ghost saw Danny Phantom flying by in a particular direction.

"...stick? What's he doing here?"

Out of curiosity, she began following him from behind.

Sometime later, Danny had arrived to Clockwork's lair.

Hiding out behind one of the floating gears, Ember raised a brow as she thought, "(Clockhead's place? Do they know each other or something?)"

Moving from behind the gear, she made her way towards the entrance and went inside. Usually, Ember wouldn't have dared to set a foot or a ghost tail inside the scary clocktower that was the home of the ghost of time. In fact, she flat out ignored the place because it was creepy. But today was different... today she had to find out what the halfa hero was up to.

"Why? Because she was a nosey little pop princess that's why," stated Shadow.

"Hey!" shouted Ember taking offense. "I am not nosey!"

"Really? Then what are you doing right now?"

"I'm uh... Look nobody asked for your opinion so shut your trap!"

"As you command your highness."

The ghostly diva rolled her eyes at Shadow's remark.

Switching back to Sam, the goth girl made her way into Fenton Labs without being detected.

"By the way, how did you pull that off?" asked Shadow.

"Are you kidding me?" said Sam. "I come from a rich family with a state of the art security system which I manage to get pass without being seen or caught. Compared to that, getting inside here was a piece of cake."

"In other words, Danny gave you a key to the door sometime during your relationship so that you could sneak in and go up to his room so you guys could make out at night?"

"How do you know about that?"

"An even better question is why didn't you return the key when you broke up?"

Sam stopped at the Fenton's Ghost Patroller(Which basically was sort of like one of those police motorcycles except it could fly in addition to riding on the ground. It even had a build on passenger seat.)

"I forgot I had it," explained the goth girl.

"Uh-huh," responded Shadow clearly not believing her.

"I'm not lying. I'll give it back the next time I see him."

"Why don't you just leave it on the desk right next to the wall over there?"

"It's better if I hand it to him."

"Are you sure its not because you're having trouble letting go?"

"No, I...!"

"Jack, you've asked me this before," started Maddie Fenton's stern voice off in the distance before finishing with, "My answer is no."

"C'mon, Maddie," begged Jack Fenton's voice. "Nobody's home and I'm sure it'll be a while before Danny gets back."

Hearing the approaching footsteps, the goth girl ran over to one of the many machines in the lab to hide behind.

As the two parents entered the lab Jack pleaded, "Pleeeeeease? With extra fudge on top? Lots and lots of fudge?"

His wife crossed her arms trying to keep a poker face but ended up caving in by saying, "Oh all right. Just this once okay?"

Jack did a fist pump before grabbing a remote from a nearby table and mashing the big red button on it. All of a sudden, a large TV screen came out from the ceiling, a dance pad opened across the floor, and the lights in the lab shifted to a variety of colors as music played really loudly. The married couple began dancing to Michael Jackson's Beat It. Sam could hardly hear herself think through all the noise.

"Well at least I don't have to worry about them hearing the engine now," commented Sam.

Sneaking back to the Fenton Ghost Patroller or F.G.P for short, Sam started the ride and took off into the portal. Maddie looked over her shoulder but didn't see anything wrong so she shrugged and went back to dancing.


	3. Little Known Facts

In the Ghost Zone once again, Danny had arrived to the top of the tower where Clockwork was. The time ghost was starring into one of the many windows before him or probably all of them. He brought his head down and turned as Danny made it a few feet across from him.

"Hello Daniel," greeted Clockwork.

"Hey Clockwork," returned Danny before asking, "Are you busy?"

"Does time stop?" asked the enigmatic ghost with a raised brow.

"Right, sorry. Dumb question."

"What is it that you want?"

"Do you know anything about what Johnny 13 said to me earlier? You know the three most infamous ghosts thing?"

"Yes, I do."

"What is it exactly?"

"Its nothing."

"Nothing? But Johnny 13 said..."

"I know what he said," interrupted the master of time. "To people like you and I, it is nothing. Because popularity and fame isn't something we set our hearts on. However, those looking in from the outside, that do focus on such vain things, put us on pedestals of infamy based upon what they've seen or heard from the outside. Though they know absolutely nothing beyond what their eyes see and what their ears hear. And so some get swept up in the ridiculousness of the whole thing to the point where they become jealous, angry, high-minded, or miserable. But the two of us know better."

Clockwork smirked.

"Right?"

Danny smiled back and nodded.

"Good," said Clockwork as his smile faded before looking past Danny to ask, "And what about you miss Mclain? Do you know any better?"

"Miss Mclain?" repeated Danny before putting two and two together "Wait, Ember's here?!"

Danny turned around to see if Ember was in fact there with them.

"Crud!" muttered Ember before sighing. "Oh well, might as well show myself now that the cat is out of the bag."

In the next moment, Ember came from behind a supporting pillar with a hand placed on her hip.

"Ember!" said the tense halfa before demanding, "What are you doing here?!"

Ember smirked.

"I could ask you the same thing babypop," responded the pop princess with a smirk.

Danny was about to fire a ghost ray at her but Clockwork intervened.

"Stay your hand Daniel," ordered Clockwork.

"What?!" exclaimed Danny in disbelief before trying to explain, "But she's my...!"

Clockwork gave him a 'Don't you think I know that already?' kind of look. Danny with some reservations let the green glow from his hand fade away. Then Clockwork turned to Ember.

"I trust that you won't try anything funny either," said the ghost time.

"Not making any promises but I won't bite for the time being," stated the flame-haired ghost. "'If' you answer my questions."

"Very well. What do you wish to know miss Mclain?"

"First, cut out the miss Mclain stuff and call me Ember. Second, I wanna know how the two of you know each other?"

Clockwork looked to Danny before asking, "Would you like to do the honors or should I?"

The halfa remained silent for a few seconds. Then he answered with, "Go ahead."

Clockwork nodded and turned to face Ember once more.

"It all started nearly two years ago when Daniel Fenton's future was hanging in the balance," began the enigmatic ghost "Over whether he would choose to cheat on a test or not."

"A test?" repeated the confused Ember.

"That's right. A test. But not just any test. The dreaded C.A.T. Because the pressure was so great, he would eventually end up taking a wrong turn in life thus ruining the futures for both humans and ghosts."

"What? A test did all that? Tell me you're kidding?"

"You'd be surprise how something so small could have such a big impact on the future."

Ember shifted her eyes to the halfa who now was looking off into the distance.

"So," she started. "What kind of impact are we talking here?"

"Take a look," responded Clockwork directing her attention to a time window.

He showed her the consequences of Danny's mistake. A destroyed Amity Park, a fear filled Ghost Zone, and Dan Phantom who laughed in delight at the screams of his victims.

"Whoa...!" exclaimed Ember before pointing between the present Danny and the Future Danny. "He. Him?"

"Yes," answered Clockwork.

"And me?"

The ghost of time revealed a sad overweight Ember from a different time window before explaining, "His Ghostly Wail shattered your singing career permanently, and you ended up eating your feelings away because of it. You even earned the nickname Ember Mcrib."

Ember gasped in shock and said, "But... no way! He looks totally different from Dipstick!"

"Granted, the human part of Daniel died at the beginning of it all, his ghost half however, became much more ghostly and less friendly since."

Ember looked from Future Danny to present Danny back and forth as she commented aloud, "I see what you mean. The other looks like he would snap someone's neck without batting an eye."

"Which is why I was asked to take care of the problem by getting rid of it before it became the world's 'Ultimate Enemy'. But I chose to give him a test of my own; which he passed with flying color's I might add. In summary, that horrible future became null, everybody is safe, and nobody will ever call you Ember Mcrib. At least, that last part might change if you let yourself go or stuff your feelings with food."

"Heck no! I'm going to keep this physique til the day my afterlife is done! As a matter of fact, I'm going to work my butt off as soon as I leave here!"

The ghost of time smirked as he said, "That's good to hear. Now that you know a bit more about your enemy, I think it would only be fair if Daniel learns something about you in return."

Ember gasped before getting angry.

"No!" she said before commanding, "Don't you dare tell him anything about me!"

"Not in the sharing mood?" asked Clockwork. "Are you afraid of what he might find out?"

"She's a bad guy who tries to take over the world with music," said Danny. "What's more to know?"

The master of time chuckled.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," said the enigmatic ghost. "What you fail to see is the base of it."

"Base?" repeated the halfa confused.

"Yes, base. In other words, how your enemy became the ghost that she is today."

Ghostly diva clenched her fists in rage.

"I'm warning you Clockhead!" Ember threatened. "Say anything and I'll...!"

Clockwork pointed his time staff at Ember and the ghostly diva vanished from his realm.

Focusing on Danny once more, Clockwork proceeded to inform Danny about Ember, but who cares about that? Let's check in on what Sam is doing.

The goth girl sped her way through the Ghost Zone looking from left to right in an attempt to find the teen she held feelings for.

"Not there, not there..." Sam muttered. "C'mon Danny, where are you?"

"Have you tried the animal shelter?" asked Shadow before adding, "I hear lost ex-boyfriends end up there every once in a while."

"You're not helping...!"

"That's because you didn't say the magic words."

"What magic words? You don't mean...?"

"Yep."

The goth girl sighed and asked, "You're getting a real kick out of making me do things that I don't want to do, aren't you?"

"Not really. I just want to be noticed and talked to every now and then. Is that so much to ask?"

"Wait, you're telling me that you feel neglected?"

"Is it really that shocking? I am the one who always has to initiate our little chats."

"Oh... right..."

"Oh is right. But I guess it is always about what you want and not what others want."

"You make it sound like I'm selfish or something; which I am not."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Because I remember the Samantha Manson who changed the menu for the school cafeteria to suit her own personal eating habits. I don't recall her asking if other students agreed with her idea or not."

"That was um... one time and I learned from my mistake."

"Did you ask Danny if he wanted that D.P. logo on his jumpsuit?"

"Um... no but you gotta admit that it's a cool design."

"How many times have your parents asked you to try on something and you flat out said no to them?"

"Hey, nobody wants their parents to treat them like a changeable barbie doll. Not even you."

"Exactly, but sometimes you have to compromise and subject yourself to things you may or may not like."

"Why?"

"Because that's how life works sometimes. You give a little and you take a little. You give a lot and you take a lot. For example, by giving up your independence on Monday, your mother will lighten up on you about your whole goth persona."

The goth girl raised her brows before uttering, "Really? I never..."

"Thought of it that way? Of course not, you're just a teenage girl guided by hormones and a rebellious thought pattern."

She went silent. Clearly Shadow's words had gotten to her.

"I'm a selfish person, aren't I?" asked Sam after some time.

"Thank you for checking into the Reality 101 Hotel. I hope you never come back and am looking forward to your growth into the smart young woman I know you'll become."

"Thanks Shadow," said the goth girl while blushing.

"You're welcome."

With a new perspective on life, the goth girl thought for a few seconds.

"Hey um..." Sam started, "Can you please tell me where I can find Danny?

"Since you asked nicely yes," responded Shadow. "He's visiting Clockwork."

"Clockwork? But you said he was in danger?

"Must I reiterate what I said to you earlier? The words 'could potentially' is a key part in my statement. Also, Danny's track record at Clockwork's hasn't always been good you know."

"Good point."

"Now ride like the wind Bullseye!"

"What?"

All of a sudden, the F.G.P sped up and Sam yelled at the top of her lungs.

"WHOOOOAAAAAAAA!"

Switching back to Danny talking with Clockwork...

"And there you have it," finished the master of time. "The back story to Ember Mclain."

"I... had no idea," uttered the befuddled halfa in the room. "I just thought..."

"She was some evil ghost who wanted to take over the world for no reason? No my boy, there is a cause behind the motives of miss Mclain."

"I can't believe I was this naive. This must be how my parents felt when they found out I was part ghost. Both times. She was just a normal teenager who died trying to make her dream come true."

"And you were just a boy who struggled with a decision about the C.A.T's but look where that led?"

"I just... wow... Ember Mclain. I think I can see ghosts in a whole new light now. Well, not the ones who want my head. Both figuratively and literally."

"If that is all then I must return to my duties now. Goodbye Daniel."

Danny waved goodbye and headed out the same way he came in but he still was in deep thought about the latest bit of information that he received. Outside, he heard a beeping noise which snapped him back to reality.

"Danny!" called Sam from nearby.

"Sam?" said Danny with raised brows before asking, "What are you doing here?"

Stopping in front of the ghost boy on the F.G.P, she answered, "I thought you were in trouble so I came to see if you were ok."

"What made you think I was trouble?"

"Um... intuition?"

"How did you know I was in the Ghost Zone?"

"Um... lucky guess?"

Becoming skeptical of her last two answers, Danny became a little more suspicious.

"Sam?" he said with a questioning look.

"Oh alright..." folded the goth girl. "Someone told me.

"What? Someone told you? But who would..."

That's when Danny realized something important.

"Did Shadow tell you?"

"Wait, you know him too?"

Danny nodded.

"So it isn't just me?"

"Looks like it."

"He told me where I could find you and that you could be in danger."

"Danger? I wasn't in any..."

He paused.

"What Danny?" asked Sam noticing his reaction. "Did something happen?"

"Oh right... I almost forgot," said Danny before expounding, "Ember showed up out of the blue while I was talking to Clockwork."

"Ember? What would she be doing here?"

"I think she followed me on the way here. She wanted to know how Clockwork and I know each other."

"That's uncharacteristic of her. I didn't peg her as the ghostly investigator."

"Neither did I, but Clockwork answered her question and sent her away."

"Really? She knows about the other you now?"

"Yeah."

"And is that good or bad for us?"

"I'm not sure to be honest. Although, I'm more confused as to why Clockwork told her in the first place."

"Your guess is as good as mine."

The two of them went silent as the topic of Ember came to an end.

"So..." started Sam in an attempt to change the subject. "What did you talk to Clockwork about?"

Johnny 13 said something that got my attention and I asked Clockwork about it," answer the halfa. "He said it was nothing and that was pretty much it."

"That's a relief. For a minute, I thought something bad was about to go down."

"So anyway, that's it for now. Unless you wanna um... talk some more...?"

"Um... no that's it. Just wanted to make sure you're alright. Ready to go?"

Danny nodded and the two headed back to the Fenton Portal.


	4. Plans In Motion

Meanwhile... Inside Clockwork's lair, Clockwork watched events unfold from a time window.

"The gears are in motion," mused the master of time. "Let us see how this plays out."

"You already know the answer, don't you?" asked Shadow.

The ghost of time smirked for a second or two before becoming serious again.

"I believe you have somewhere else to be," stated Clockwork.

"Right." agreed Shadow.

Switching over to Ember's Realm about an hour later...

The ghostly diva fumed while sitting indian style on her comfy queen sized bed "Ugh... what could he be telling that halfa dipstick?! Whatever it is, it can't be good!"

She grabbed a pillow and started biting it.

"AAAH!"

She tugged with her teeth until the bed accessory had torn and feathers scattered about aimlessly all over the place.

In the next moment, there was a knock on the door of her realm.

"I am so not in the mood for company right now... Go away!"

But her message didn't stop whoever it was from pounding loudly. She pinched the bridge of her nose before shouting out, "I said go away!"

Again her message was ignored by the unknown knocker. Infuriated by the persistent pest, the ghostly diva hopped off her bed and stomped her way out the room to the front door. Then with a sour expression, she swung the door open and barked, "I SAID GET LOST!"

Smiling for some stupid reason, Skulker, the Ghost Zone's self-proclaimed greatest hunter responded, "I heard you the first two times."

"And still you decided to keep on knocking like some kind of deaf Jehovah's witness."

"What can I say? I'm deafly in love with you."

The ghostly diva rolled her eyes and folded her arms at the lame line. But she had to give him credit for coming up with it on the spot. So she softened up a bit and her mood became less standoffish.

"Ok, what do you want?" she asked.

Skulker opened his mouth but Ember cut in with, "And don't even think about saying something corny like 'You're the one I want' even though it's true."

Skulker rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed grin before saying, "Well, I was thinking that we could spend some time together."

"Can't. Busy."

"Doing what?"

"Something that doesn't involve you."

"Does it involve skinning the infamous whelp?"

Ember shifted a bit.

"So it does," said Skulker noticing her body language with an intrigued smile before asking, "What did you have in mind?"

"Like I would ever tell you," said the pop princess. "You'll just get in my way."

"Come now. Let me in on your scheme."

"No."

"Pleeeeease? I'll make it worth your wiiiiile."

"...How? And don't say in the bedroom. I'm not interested in your 'little' toy."

"First, its not little. I'll have you know that I make most men jealous."

Ember rolled her eyes again.

"Second, I'll get you that new rocker's jacket you had your eye on if you allow me to join in on your plan."

Raising two brow at the offer, Ember asked, "The red jacket that extends all the way down to the ankles with the two straps, a fly pop-up collar, and optional guitar restrainer on the back?"

"That same one," confirmed the hunter.

"Ok. Where is it?"

"Not so fast. You'll get your prize after all is said and done."

"Fine... but you better not be lying or my guitar's going somewhere the sun doesn't shine."

"I love it when you talk dirty to me," smirked Skulker one last time.

The next day, it was Saturday and Danny had decided to stay home and play his game console.

"Why? Because he wanted to avoid the public eye and a certain goth girl." stated Shadow.

"I am not avoiding anybody," defended the halfa. "Especially not Sam. I just wanted to try out this new game I ordered."

"What's it called? Denial Boy 2?"

"Funny... but no. Its called Green Undead Remission."

The ghost boy inserted the disk into the game tray and mashed the close button on the console.

"That game?!" exclaimed Shadow in disbelief. "Wow, I would stay home all week to play that!"

"I know right?" added the halfa "The gore, mayhem, and violence is second to none! I waited a whole week for it to come by delivery!"

"Yeah, I heard how stores ran out of stock for two weeks straight. I'm surprised that you didn't use your ghost powers to acquire it faster."

"I am not the type of guy to use my powers to get what I want," scowled Danny. "That's something Vlad would do which I'm not."

"Calm down. I just meant the game is so awesome that no one could possibly live without it for so long."

He frowned.

"My bad," apologized the halfa rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment "I just don't want people to assume that I would do something like that."

"They won't," said Shadow. "Nor would people think that you could be like that guy on the TV screen."

Danny looked to the screen and saw the intro of the character he was supposed to play as, stick a gun inside a man's mouth before forcing it deep down his throat. As the man vomited, the character used a pocket knife to carve a deep gash across his stomach which revealed the victim's insides. Right after, he pulled a pin from a grenade before sticking it into the victim's stomach. Then the title of the game flashed across the screen in oozing green letters as the victim exploded.

"You're right," agreed the dark haired teen. "I could never be like that guy but I can do the next best thing."

Danny picked up his wireless controller and mashed the start button with glee.

"Switching over to... to... who do I want to visit? Oh right Ember and Skulker. But what are they doing? Are they even together for that matter? Could they be hot and heavy? You know because she's hot literally and he's a heavy..." explained Shadow before being interrupted.

"Would you give it a rest already?" asked Ember out of irritation.

"Sorry, but if I may ask... Did you tell Skulker about what Clockwork revealed to you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because he doesn't need to know and it's none of his business."

"You do realize that the same could apply to you too right? Also, is keeping secrets a good way to build on a relationship?"

"Hey, I didn't ask to be cross-examined so put a lid on it!"

"Put a lid on what?" questioned Skulker walking into the area with a confused look on his face.

"Oh uh... nothing," responded Ember trying to come up with a good excuse for her outburst. However, Shadow took matters into his own hands and whispered something into her ear and the pop princess repeated, "I was just um... exercising... my... vocal cords?"

"That's good to hear. Well anyway the stage is set and so is the trap. Now all we have to do is move onto phase two."

"Well you do your thing and I'll do mine."

The two turn invisible and fly off through the roof. While heading off in a random direction...

"You're welcome," said Shadow.

"Excuse me?" responded the pop princess.

"I helped you back there and you..."

Ember raised a brow.

"...appreciate it?"

"No."

"Oh... I must have gotten the wrong impression."

"Looks like it."

"Silly me."

"You need to find something better to do besides annoy me."

"Would annoying Skulker be better?"

"You know what," considered the pop princess before smirking. "It actually would."

"Bye."

"Good riddance... and don't say jack squat about you-know-what!"

Switching over to Skulker who was currently flying through the air.

Shadow cracked his fingers and...

"Almost there," muttered Skulker to himself. All of a sudden, his wrist device activated with a familiar beeping sound and he read "'Go to the library and check out a book with information on the mating habits of purple-back gorillas'?"

Then in the next moment, the hunter changed course and zoomed off.

"I thought I fixed this infernal contraption!"

Switching back to Ember, Shadow commented, "Mission accomplished."

"What?" asked the confused pop princess.

But Shadow didn't respond as he left.

Two hours later, Skulker appeared at the Amity Park Power Plant or A.P.P.P for short.

"Now that this thing has been reprogrammed," said the hunter. "Time to do some damage."

He aimed his fist and launched a small explosive rocket. Then in the next few seconds, there was a loud boom but not before the ghost hunter fled the scene of the crime.


	5. Bitter Disappointments

Across the town, many citizens experienced a total power failure and were caught unawares.

Samantha Manson, watching a horror movie in the theatre room, blinked several times in the dark confused. Daniel Fenton in his room was in the middle of ripping a man's arm clean off when the electricity ceased.

"What?!" Danny exclaimed in shock "But, I didn't get to save my progress!"

Then in the next moment, the lights came back on and his game did as well. Except, it wasn't where his progress left him last. In fact, it was on the title screen. He sighed in acceptance.

"Oh well. Better pick up at my last save point."

When the halfa pressed the start button, he found that the save file was empty.

"No way...! How could it...! ARGH!"

Tossing the controller away, the teen fumed in frustration.

"What kind of game would erase the save file when the power goes out?! That is so unfair! Two hours of progress down the drain! Now I have to start all the way from the beginning! Could this day get any worse?!"

In the next moment, Danny's cell phone rang. The halfa covered his eyes with a hand after picking up the communication device.

"Yeah? Oh hi Tucker. How's it going? What? You want me to check out the power plant? Why? Something bad happened? Ok, I'll get there as fast as I can."

After hanging up, our teen hero clenched his fists transforming into his ghost side. Then, he took off out of his room. Making it to his destination, Danny looked around and spotted a few workers plus some police officers talking amongst themselves. Landing nearby, he approached the group of people.

"Hi, can one of you..." started the halfa before being interrupted.

"Danny Phantom?!" exclaimed a worker from the plant.

"Is that really him?!" asked a police officer in disbelief.

"Um yeah," answered Danny feeling uncomfortable "So what's..."

"Can I get your autograph?" asked different worker.

"Me too!" chimed in a different cop "You're my son's hero!"

"Uh... Maybe later." responded the halfa before asking the group "Can somebody tell me why does it look like a bomb went off here?"

"We just got here so its too early to say" said the first cop.

"Mind if I take a look around? I promise not to get in your way."

"Knock yourself out. Just report back whatever you discover."

Danny nodded to the officer and checked out the scene.

"This would explain why the power went out," muttered Danny to himself "I'm fortunate my mom and dad installed a generator in case of emergency. The rest of the town however, they might not be as lucky. Huh? What's that?"

The halfa bent over and picked up what seemed to be a glowing piece of metal trapped beneath some dust.

"This doesn't look like any ordinary piece of metal. In fact, I don't think it originated on Earth."

Returning to the officer from before, Danny handed over the fragment.

"I think that might be a clue as to who or what did this. It's probably from the Ghost Zone."

"If you say so Mr. Phantom," responded the cop tipping his hat forward "We'll be sure to verify your

statement by having this analyzed at the precinct."

Danny nodded and took off into the sky. While flying, he pulled out his phone and called his best friend. As soon as the person picked up on the other end "Hey Tuck. I did what you asked and I came across a piece of metal that looked like it came from the Ghost Zone. Yeah. I think so too. A ghost is behind this. I don't know who though. Still, I'll keep my eyes peeled for anything suspicious. What? Get something to eat at Nasty Burger? Why would I want to do that when the power is out everywhere including there? You forgot? That's understandable. Ok. Talk to you later."

At the same time in the Mayor's office...

"Alright," said Tucker "See ya Danny..."

And in the next moment, Ember ended the mayor's call by pulling the cell phone from his ear.

"I did what you wanted!" demanded Tucker "Now let me go!"

"Hm... let me think about that for a second," said Ember tapping her chin with a finger while looking up "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to say no Mayor Techno Geek."

"But that's not fair!" whined Tucker "You promised that...!"

"I promised nothing! All I said was that I'll think about it. And now that I have, you're gonna stay here locked up for the time being. Besides, did you honestly think that I would let you walk free only for you to warn that dipstick friend of yours? How stupid do you think I am?"

Stepping away from the wall that the mayor was fixed to by some sticky ecto-goo, she walked towards the exit.

"You're not gonna get away with this!" declared the mayor "Danny will stop you!"

"Keep dreaming, hahaha!" laughed the pop princess as she phased through the door and came out the other side feeling satisfied about pulling off the cliche' bad guy laugh.

"I must find a way to warn Danny...! Ugh..."

Tucker struggled with his restraints but they wouldn't budge. He sighed in defeat moments later.

"If only he caught on to that little hint about the Nasty Burger I gave him. He should know by now that I never forget anything that pertains to Nasty Burger."

"Hey there." greeted Shadow.

The mayor of Amity Park looked around the room confused before asking "Huh? Who said that?"

"Don't bother looking because you won't find anybody. Just listen to my voice."

"Uh... Who are you?"

"Shadow."

"Ok... Can you get me out of here Shadow?"

"I could but I wont."

"Why not?"

"Reasons."

"Reasons? So why make yourself known if you're not going to do anything?"

"Who said I wasn't going to do anything?"

"I hope you're not going to torture me or something."

"I'm not, but I'll get in contact with Danny for you if you like."

"For real?!"

"Yep."

"Please and thank" said Tucker with a smile.

Switching to Danny who was on his way back home.

"Hey DP," greeted Shadow before asking "Got any plans?"

"Besides catching up on Green Undead Remission?" asked Danny "No. Why?"

"While you're out, you should grab a bite at Nasty Burger."

"Geez, you too? How is that I'm the only one who remembers that the power is out all over town?"

"Me too? Someone else suggested that same thing?"

"Yeah, Tucker. I just talked to him on the phone and he said I should drop by."

"That's odd. Shouldn't he out of all people know that? I mean he is the mayor after all."

"My thoughts exactly. And besides, he's a die hard loyal Nasty Burger customer. If anybody knows when Nasty Burger is and isn't open it's Tu... cker..."

"Something wrong?"

The ghostly teen facepalmed before kicking himself mentally with "I'm such an idiot! Tucker never forgets anything involving Nasty Burger!"

Danny changed course and headed in another direction.

"So... he didn't really forget it?" asked Shadow.

"No. He probably was trying to warn me," answer the halfa "I just wish I caught on sooner and that I'm not too late."

"You're not."

"What?"

"Tucker's doing ok for now."

"Wait, you knew something was going on with Tucker?"

"Yep."

"Before or after our talk about Nasty Burger?"

"Before."

"How come you didn't say anything!?" exploded the ghostly teen.

"No sense in opening a door when the other person doesn't know that it exists."

"What does that mean?"

"It means be aware of what's going on around you and don't always depend on others to tell you everything. Sometimes you must figure things out for yourself."

"Ok, I get it. 'There are no shortcuts in life and it isn't always fair'. That kind of stuff right?"

"Bingo. Now if you will excuse me, I must be off."

"What? You're leaving now?"

"You look like you got this handled and there's pretty much nothing else I can at this point so yeah."

"Well, alright. See ya Shadow."

"Bye."


	6. Taken Without A Neeson er Reason

Switching over to Danny's house...

"Oof!" grunted Jack Fenton after he hit a wall hard and fell to the floor out cold.

"Jack!?" gasped Maddie Fenton before turning to face the ghostly intruder "You're gonna pay for that ghost!"

The female ghost hunter in the blue jumpsuit pulled out an extendable rod and twirled it around a few times. Then she charged forward ready to strike Skulker.

"You think you can handle me woman?" said Skulker "Think again."

The Ghost Zone's greatest hunter aimed his wrist and launched a net from his gauntlet. But little did

he know, this was no ordinary opponent. This was Maddie Fenton. She was as acrobatic as she was agile. Not to mention she could bake a mean chocolate chip cookie whenever she wanted to. But not to get off topic, the mother of Danny Fenton ran to the closest wall and performed a wall kick which led to her executing a downward strike with her weapon. Skulker's net missed in the process and he had to use his forearm to block the attack.

"Hiya!" cried Maddie hammering against Skulker's arm repeatedly.

"Not bad prey," complemented Skulker "But lets see how you handle this!"

Upon his shoulder sprang out a laser gun of some type and Maddie without hesitation went low before performing a sweep kick taking Skulker's feet right out from under him. The laser gun ended up blasting a hole in the ceiling.

"Grr...!" groaned Skulker after falling flat on his back and seeing Maddie about to dish some pain his way.

"Hwa!" she shouted raising her rod high like a kendo stick.

As she was about to strike down the vulnerable ghost that raided her home, a green fist beam struck her from the side.

"Agh!"

Maddie ended up smacking the wall with heavy force and she hit the floor hard out cold.

"Geez, you couldn't even handle dipstick's mom?" berated Ember "She doesn't even have powers."

"Say what you will but that woman is no pushover," said Skulker standing up and dusting himself off "Also, I can handle any prey no matter how big or small. I would have taken her down eventually."

"Yeah, yeah. Just grab'em and let's take this show on the road."

Skulker nodded and did as instructed by securing the two humans.

Switching over to Danny arriving inside of the Mayor's office...

"Tucker!" called Danny flying into the room.

"Boy am I glad to see you," sighed Tucker in relief "I was worried Shadow might not have told you what was happening."

The ghost boy aimed a finger and destroyed the goo shackling the Mayor with small ghost rays. Landing on his feet, Tucker massaged his wrists and ankles.

"Wait, Shadow was here?" questioned the halfa.

"He didn't tell you?" responded the mayor.

"No, but he did mention that you were ok after I figured out your Nasty Burger clue."

"So you did figure it out. And here I thought it went over your head when I brought it up."

The ghost teen scratched the side of his head as he changed the topic "Uh... well the important thing is that you're safe. Who did this to you anyway?"

"It was Ember."

Danny blinked twice.

"What's wrong?"

"Believe it or not, I ran into her yesterday at Clockwork's."

"Hold on. She was there? Why?"

"Spying on me. I had to talk to him about something and he called her out. She wanted to know how the two of us knew each other."

"Did you tell her?"

"Clockwork did."

"So she knows about..."

"Yep."

"Do you think that's the reason why she kidnapped me?"

"I don't know to be honest. Guess I'll find out after I confront her. By the way, how did she get inside here? I thought the place had its own state of the art anti-ghost defense system?"

"It does. Although with the recent power plant disaster, the backup generator doesn't have nearly enough power to sustain it so we shut it down."

After stating that, Tucker's brain led to a conclusion that made him go into panic mode.

"Oh no..."

"Tucker? What's wrong?" asked the halfa becoming tense "You look like you've seen a ghost. Well, besides me and Ember."

"Ember was behind what happened at the Power Plant."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out when you told me she was here."

"You don't get it! She was able to get to me because the anti-ghost defense system was down! Imagine who else she could get to!"

The halfa's eyes widened as the realization hit him.

"Oh no..." muttered Danny with widened eyes as the realization hit him. He took out his phone and called his mom's number "C'mon... pick up...!"

After a minute...

"Hello?" asked the feminine voice on the other end "Danny!? Is that you?!"

"Mom!" shouted the halfa filled with joy "Thank goodness you're..."

"Greetings ghost child" greeted another voice that was different from the first.

"Skulker?!" exclaimed Danny in shock.

"Hahahaha! I have those you care about under lock and key. It would be a shame for something unfortunate to happen to them."

"I swear if you lay a finger on them I'll...!"

"Did I forget to mention that I have your precious girlfriend too?"

"What?!"

"Danny!" said Sam's voice over the phone "I'm ok! Don't worry about...!"

And then Sam was gone.

"Sam?!" called Danny "SAM!"

"Sorry," said Skulker's voice on the phone once more "she's unavailable from now on."

Eyes full of rage, Danny demanded "Leave them out of this! I'm the one you want!"

"It's because of that reason they're still alive," explained the ghostly hunter "However, if you want to keep it that way, you'll have to do exactly as I say."

"I'm listening."

In the next few seconds Skulker listed what Danny had to do. Right after he was done, Danny looked to Tucker with a mixed countenance of nervousness and seriousness while sweatdropping. Then he replied, "Ok. I'll do it."

And then the phone hung up.

"What did he say?" asked Tucker.

"Nothing good," responded the halfa "You stay out of harm's way until its over."

"No, I'm coming with you." protested the techno geek.

"You can't Tuck. You're the mayor remember? You have an obligation to keep the town in check. And besides, Skulker told me to come alone or my parents and Sam would pay the price."

"But...!"

Danny turned and flew off through the roof before his friend could complain anymore.

"I hate it when he does that."


	7. All Ears and Tears

Switching over to Ember and Skulker's location sometime later...

The ghostly duo were currently located at Amity Park's Civic Center. They were standing atop the stage with their prisoners who were locked inside a large metal cage.

"Hey ghosts!" called Jack Fenton to the two.

Ember and Skulker looked back over their shoulders to the Fenton Patriarch.

"How are we supposed to use the bathroom?"

"Not my problem," shrugged the ghostly diva.

"Soil yourselves for all I care," answered the hunter. "You're just bait for the real prize."

In the next moment, Danny landed on stage across from the two ghost villains.

"Danny!" cried Sam and Maddie.

"Son!" yelled Jack.

Ember and Skulker shifted their focus to the ghost boy.

"I had a feeling it wasn't a coincidence that you two happened to show up on the same day," commented Danny. "Although, I am a little surprised that both of you are working together."

The ghost hunter smirked before asking, "What better way is there to catch a foe off guard than to form a united front?"

"Enough with the chit-chat!" ordered Ember "Did you bring what he said on the phone?"

Danny reached behind his back and pulled out the Fenton Thermos.

"Good," said Skulker before commanding, "Now get down on your knees whelp."

The halfa did as ordered and got down on his knees. Once in that position, his foes exchanged smirks with each other. Then Skulker pressed a button on his gauntlet and parts of the stage floor opened to reveal four laser guns that aimed at Danny from four different angles before firing deadly beams.

"AGH!" cried Danny feeling the sting of laser fire.

"Danny!?" gasped Sam and Maddie.

"Son!?" exclaimed Jack.

When the lasers were through, Danny collapsed to the ground. Then Ember came strolling over with a satisfied look of approval.

"I'll take that," said the pop princess picking up the Fenton Thermos before aiming the container at the halfa.

"I don't... understand," groaned the halfa.

"Understand what?"

"How could the girl... Clockwork told me about... be you?"

Confused and curious, the pop princess asked, "What are you on about dipstick?"

The halfa picked his head up to get a good look at the ghostly diva before explaining, "He said that... a smart and talented teenage girl named Amber had high hopes of becoming a... big time rockstar. But she was also... nice and kind. In fact, she wouldn't even... hurt a fly. I just don't understand how... someone like that could end up as a sad, miserable, cold-hearted, attention hog of a ghost... like you."

Ember had both a look of anger and utter perplex written across her face.

"I thought I understood you after... hearing how that girl died. There was a freak accident with stage equipment that... set her on fire. The worst thing about it was that it happened right before... her career ever got started. Then it started to make sense. You started to make sense. Taking over the world with music because... the world never heard her music."

"SHUT IT!" barked the raging diva. "YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT ME!"

Hearing that outburst caused Skulker to blink in shock. Danny pushed himself up from the ground with difficulty and said, "You're right. I don't know anything... about you. I'm just a teenager who can barely make it home before curfew."

"What are you waiting for!?" interrupted Skulker. "Capture him!"

"Gladly!" said Ember coming back to her senses.

In the next moment, the ghostly diva was about to suck Danny into the thermos but he blinked out of existence.

"Huh?!"

"What in the...!" started a befuddled Skulker.

"It was a duplicate," explained Danny from behind them.

Skulker and Ember turned around to find Danny standing atop the prison cage.

"And before you ask what happened to my parents and Sam, another duplicate is currently taking them far away from here."

Danny fired a ghost ray which blasted Skulker off stage. Then the halfa proceeded to fire another at Ember, but unlike her partner, she had time to see it coming and dodged by flying high. Following that, she used her guitar to send a projectile fist his way. Danny flew up high off the cage before it was smashed by Ember's attack.

"Geez, your aim is about as good as a Stormtrooper. Here let me show you how it's done!"

Danny fired several ghost rays at the Ghostly Diva but she managed to dodge them.

"I could say the same about you dipstick!" spat back Ember. "I bet you couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if you were standing five inches away from it!"

She strummed her guitar cords and a wave of sound shot out. The halfa on reaction surrounded himself with a protective shield. Ember gasped in shock.

"I think you need to chill out popsicle princess!" quipped the halfa.

The ghost boy unleashed an ice beam that froze Ember cold in place. She ended up falling to the ground with a loud crash.

"Nice banter," complemented Shadow.

"Huh?" blinked Danny a little surprised by the Shadow's voice. "Oh... yeah thanks Shadow."

"Look out."

"What? Gah!"

Danny was struck by a missile with a loud bang and he fell to the ground with a thud. Shaking his head, the teen gathered his marbles together. Not too high above him floated Skulker aiming down in his direction.

"Take this whelp!" declared the hunter before sending a barrage of missiles the halfa's way in a swarm of sorts.

"Uh-oh," uttered Danny before phasing down through the ground at the last moment.

The explosion ensued moments after and Skulker smirked in delight before commenting, "That should take care of him."

"Guess again!"

Skulker turned around and found Danny coming at him at full speed with a glowing fist at the ready.

"I'd hate to rip off a popular franchise, but oh well. Phantom Punch!"

"UUUUUUURG!" moaned the hunter after Danny sent him flying backwards with one power packed fist. He kept going until crashing into a wall. Unconscious and out cold within the boundary, Skulker was down for the count.

"K.O! Now to get the thermos."

Danny flew back to the stage and found the container Ember dropped when he first attacked her. Then after retrieving it, he went over to Skulker and used it.

"One down and one to go."

The halfa looked around and finally spotted the ghostly diva lying on the ground groaning with shards of ice scattered about. After he had landed, Ember barely managed to get her eyes open and she gave him a disgruntled look before uttering, "Stupid... dipstick."

"Again with the dipstick? I have a name you know."

He was about to aim the thermos at her but then the pop princess continued crying out, "Stupid... stupid... STUPID!"

Then Ember's eyes closed tight as if she was trying to hold something in.

"(What the...)" thought the halfa raising a brow.

When the diva could no longer keep herself in check, two tears came out of the ghostly diva's eye sockets in long streams accompanied by a pain filled cry. "AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"(Oh my god!?)" thought Danny taking a few steps back. "(She's crying!?)"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He let her carry on without saying a word. Mostly because he didn't know what to do in this situation. Sure he could suck her up into his thermos but his morals told him that would be cruel. Even so, that put him in an awkward situation. Without knowing what to do, the halfa scratched the side of his head and remained quiet while looking away. That was until Shadow decided to intervene and give him a nudge in the right direction.

"So you're not going to console her?" asked Shadow.

"What?!" exclaimed the halfa in disbelief. "Are you crazy!? She's my enemy!"

"Isn't it the job of the hero to help out those who are in emotional turmoil?"

"You're thinking of a psychiatrist. And again, she is my enemy!"

"Enemy or not, I recall that this ghost helped a certain halfa save the world by turning it intangible. Or did you forget about that?"

"That was more of self-preservation on her part than actually helping me. Besides, why should I help her after she kidnapped Sam and my parents?"

"Its called being the bigger man. One of the 10 commandments of being a hero."

"Fine... You win I'll..." sighed the ghost teen before glancing at the distraught ghost who was still crying. "...do what I can."

Gathering his thoughts together, Danny mentally braced himself for the task.

"(Here goes...)"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" cried the pop princess.

Danny walked over and behind the pop princess before helping sit her up. Surprised by the sudden action, Ember stopping crying immediately and asked, "W-what are you doing?!"

"There you go," said the halfa before moving to sit down in front of her indian style. Then he asked, "So... what's wrong?"

"I don't need your charity!" humphed the sad but angry Ember as she folded her arms before turning away with a humph. "I don't need your charity! Just suck me up into your soup container and be done with it!"

"Usually, I wouldn't hesitate to do so but you don't seem like the normal you and that bothers me."

She turned her head to glare at him before spatting, "And how would you know the normal me? You think that I'm just a sad, miserable, cold-hearted, attention hog of a ghost who wants to take over the world!"

"Ok... I totally deserved that but you're not exactly miss transparent," said Danny rubbing the back of his neck before adding, "Its kind of hard to see past the world domination side of you."

"Fair point," relented the pop princess as her face softened. Then she asked, "So... you asked what's wrong with me?"

"Yep."

"And you... genuinely want to know?"

"If it will help you feel better."

"Ok..." Ember said taking in a deep breath as she dried her eyes. Then she exhaled sharply before muttering low, "I'm jealous of you..."

"Come again?" asked the halfa raising a brow. "I couldn't..."

"I said I'm jealous of you ok!?" answered the pop princess a little louder and then ending with, "Now please don't make me repeat it again..."

"You're jealous... of me?"

Ember nodded without looking at him.

"Why?"

"Why? You have everything a ghost like me could dream of. Fame, cool powers, people who care about you, and most of all..."

She looked at one of her hands.

"...you're alive."

"Oh... I guess I do have all of those things huh?"

"It might not seem like much to you but for me, I'd kill for those qualities. Especially the alive part."

She sat there quiet not saying anything more. Danny decided to say something in return.

"To tell you the truth," he said, "I don't think you should be jealous of me."

"Excuse me?" questioned Ember a little offended while giving the halfa a pointed look.

"Most people who look at my life from the outside only see the good parts. They don't see the bad."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's see... up until I became the world's hero, I was hunted down by both the government and my own parents. The latter wanted to dissect and study me. I was constantly bullied at school. Sure I pulled pranks in return using my powers, but it just made the jocks want to take their anger out on me even more. On top of all that, there was all the late-night ghost fighting which took a toll on my GPA. My fruit-loop of an arch-enemy Vlad Masters aka Vlad Plasmius became mayor of the city I live in. A girl I go to school with tried to waste me with the ghost hunting equipment Vlad gave her. That's one of the reasons why we had to call it quits on our relationship. Did also mention that I have a clone out there somewhere? Yeah, thank Vlad for that too. Come to think of it, Vlad let Pariah Dark loose from the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep."

"Wait, Plasmius did that? I had to ditch my home because of the ghost king!"

"It gets even better. He caused the Disasteroid incident."

"This is... wow," stammered Ember shocked by what she was hearing. "I had no idea Plasmius was behind all of that."

"Most people don't. Vlad makes the mess and I had to clean it up most of the time."

Danny let out a heavy sigh. Seeing the heaviness of the halfa's demeanor made the ghostly diva think back to what she heard Clockwork saying.

_[Memory Start]_

_"To people like you and I, it is nothing. Because popularity and fame isn't something we set our hearts on. However, those looking in from the outside, that do focus on such vain things, put us on pedestals of infamy based upon what they've seen or heard from the outside. Though they know absolutely nothing beyond what their eyes see and what their ears hear. And so some get swept up in the ridiculousness of the whole thing to the point where they become jealous, angry, high-minded, or miserable."_

_[Memory End]_

Speaking low to herself, Ember muttered, "I was caught up in it like he said..."

"Huh? You say something?" asked Danny not catching what she was saying.

"I... I'm feeling better now," replied the flame-haired ghost shaking her head a little.

"Really?"

After folding her arms and looking away, the pop princess nodded and said, "Yeah. You can trap me in that thermos whenever you're ready."

Danny looked down at the thermos in his hand, then back to the ghostly pop princess.

"I think I'll pass," said Danny standing up from the ground with a smile.

Confused, Ember turned her head to look at him.

"Just do me a small favor in return by staying out of trouble."

Without waiting for a reply, the ghost boy flew off.

"He let me go?" blinked the confused Ember.

Caught off guard by Danny's decision, she pondered the reason behind his actions.


	8. Get Out Of My Grill

Returning home minutes later, Danny was greeted by his friends and family.

"Danny!" cried Maddie as she hugged him tight before asking, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," answered the halfa.

"You had us worried there for a minute," said Tucker.

"Did you take care of those mean ghosts?" asked Jack putting up his dukes and punching a few times. "You know, like your old man?"

"Um... yeah dad," said Danny.

"I can't believe Ember and Skulker were working together," commented Sam. "I never would have predicted that in a million years."

"I know. I still can't wrap my head around it. Youngblood is one thing, but Skulker? I think I'm gonna need a week to process that."

"Well now that everything is back to normal for the most part," interjected Tucker, "I think I'll head out."

"You sure you can't stay for dinner?" asked the Fenton matriarch.

"I wish Mrs. Fenton but duty calls being the mayor and all. No rhyme intended."

And so the Techno Geek left out the door.

"I think that's my cue to leave too," said Sam getting ready to leave.

Before the goth could take a step, Shadow whispered in her ear, "Oh no you don't. Give him the key."

"Oh... right... I almost forgot to give you something," said the goth girl reaching in her pocket and holding out a key Danny. "I believe this is yours."

"Hm? Is that a key to the door?" asked Maddie noticing with a raised brow.

Danny and Sam started sweating.

"I gave it to her in case of emergency!" answered Danny.

"He gave it to me in case of emergency!" answered Sam.

"Ok... I guess that's fine," said the Fenton matriarch accepting their responses.

Right after, she and her husband left the two alone. When they were out of sight, the teens sighed.

"Whoops. My bad," said Sam a little embarrassed.

"Whoops is right," chuckled the halfa. "But look, you hold on to that."

"You sure?"

Danny closed her hand around the key and answered, "Absolutely. Like we said, its in case of emergency."

The goth girl smiled and nodded before saying, "Ok. I'll keep it. But if you ever want it back..."

"I'll let you know."

And from there, the two waved goodbye and Sam went home.

Later that night, Ember appeared inside her realm in a swirl of blue flames and she flopped on her bed.

"I can't believe dipstick let me go like that," she said aloud to herself. "Especially after what we did to him."

She flipped over to look at the ceiling and spread out her arms.

"Why did he? And why did he ask if I was ok? That's not how you're supposed to treat an enemy. I know I wouldn't. Unless..."

Her mind was about to go down a road she never before considered but she shook her head and gagged.

"No way! Not going there! I'll never be friends with him! He pulled the plug on my performance way too often!"

Then the ghostly diva checked the time by looking at the star shaped clock hanging on the wall and she yawned.

"Better get some shut eye. Tomorrow, I'll start working on my next plan."

Pulling the bedsheet back, Ember lazily wriggled her way under the covers and after about two minutes, she was fast asleep.

The next day, which was Sunday, it rained most of the day. So much so that not even our hero bothered to brave the weather.

"But he could do the next best thing," stated Shadow. "Which is to explore the Ghost Zone."

"What? Are you kidding?" questioned the halfa a little put off by the idea. Then he shot it down by adding, "I am not going to the Ghost Zone."

"Why not?"

"Have you forgotten about the game I just got in the mail?"

"Oh right! Green Undead Remission!"

"I'm not gonna let a perfectly good opportunity of playing it get wasted."

"Well you go on ahead and play it."

And so Danny pressed start and dived deep into the game. While he was doing that, Ember on the other hand was in her realm like usual. But instead of playing games like our favorite halfa, she was trying to come up with her next scheme on taking over the... hold on. I take it back. She's...

"NO!" she screamed. "THIS CANT HAPPEN TO ME!"

Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, the pop princess breathed heavily and splashed water on her face. Or what passes for water in the Ghost Zone.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

She clenched her fists and smashed one into the mirror after envisioning Danny's face in it.

"Oh man... are you alright?" asked Shadow.

"DO... I... LOOK... ALRIGHT!?" replied the pop princess with a twitching eye.

"What happened?"

"What happened!? WHAT HAPPENED!? I dreamt about 'him'! That's what happened! Stupid dipstick PHANTOM!"

"Ok... what's wrong with that?"

"I... he..." stammered Ember as words struggled to form in her mouth before yelling, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!"

Her hair went crazy as the flames spread and danced wildly.

"Uh... wow," swallowed Shadow before continuing with, "I mean... ok. So you had a er... dream about him but that doesn't mean you like-like him right?"

"Of course I don't!" growled Ember and then adding, "We're enemies! I want to smack him upside the head with my guitar!"

"That's good. Otherwise, why let a dream get to you? I mean, dreams don't really mean anything most of the time."

"I guess that's true," agreed the pop princess calming down a bit. "Maybe I am taking this a little too overboard."

"In the meantime, you can do something to take you mind off this dream that more than likely means nothing. Like hang out with a friend or something."

"Good idea. I could go shopping with Kitty. Its been a while since the two of us got together for a girls day out."

"That's the spirit and you're welcome."

"I never thanked you," Ember stated raising a brow.

"Oh... right. Well nevermind."

"Time for you to scram."

"As you command... popsicle princess."

Ember's eyes widened in anger before she shouted, "SHADOW!"

Switching over to Kitty and Johnny 13's location...

"Ugh... Can you at least take one day from messing around with that thing and pay attention to me?" asked Kitty frustrated.

Inside a garage of sorts, the unlucky numbered ghost had a tool in hand while fixing his bike.

"Wish I could Kitten," Johnny 13 replied back, "but that Phantom punk did a real number on my ride. It just wouldn't feel right to let her sit here on the fritz."

"And what about me?" argued the biker babe. "Are you saying that that ride is more important than me?"

Johnny facepalmed before explaining, "No, I'm just saying that once I get done fixing her up, I'll be happy to take you somewhere. Maybe even the real world."

"Yeah right," said Kitty folding her arms. "You said that last time and I was stuck here while you were out having fun."

"Last time we got into a fight and you tried to smooch me to Nowheresville. There was no way I was gonna stick around for that."

"I was gonna bring you back," stated Kitty turning away.

Seeing that he won the argument, Johnny continued his work. And then Kitty's cell rang. Taking it out, she saw the name plus picture pop up on the screen before answering.

"Hey Em. What's up? Ok! Sounds like fun! I'll meet you there!"

Perking up a bit, Johnny's girl came over and kissed him on the cheek before taking off.

"Be back in a little while. Ember and I are going shopping."

"Have fun," waved Johnny before thinking "(Piece and quiet at last.)"

Sometime later at the Ghost Zone's shopping mall, walking around carrying a bag or two in hand...

"You know, I was kinda surprised you called me up out of the blue," said Kitty. "Usually, I'm the one who has to call you. Either that or Spectra. So what's going on?"

"Nothing. I was just bored," shrugged Ember. "And my wardrobe needs an upgrade so why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Are you sure its not guy problems?"

"No..." answered the pop princess looking away.

"Ember... I can tell that you're not being completely honest with me. Is it Skulker again? I swear I don't know what you see him."

"Its not him. Also, as much of a klutz as he may be, he really knows how to push the right buttons if you know what I mean."

The flame haired ghost smiled at that last part which Kitty noticed.

"I hear you girl. Loud and clear," said Kitty. "But if its not him then it can only be Phantom that's bothering you. Most ghosts I talk to have the same problem but that's normally how it goes."

The ghostly diva had stopped when Kitty said 'Phantom' and the biker babe didn't realize it until she was a few steps ahead of her.

"Ember?" called Kitty looking back and noticing Ember's hair flaring erratically while grinding her teeth. "You ok?"

The biker babe came back to her friend.

"Did... something happen?"

Ember took in a breath to relax and her hair went back to normal.

"I don't want to talk about it..." muttered Ember after taking in a breath to relax. Then her hair calmed down.

"Ok," smiled Kitty "But if you ever change your mind, let me know."

Ember returned the smile with one of her own and nodded. From there, the two continued about their day.

Later, they walked into a Manicure/Pedicure salon. As soon as they did, none other than Penelope Spectra spotted them from the chair she was sitting in while getting her feet tended to.

"Kitty, Ember!" called Spectra. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Hi Spectra!" waved the biker babe to the red head.

"I see we're not the only ones who thought about getting our nails done," commented Ember.

Minutes later after Ember and Kitty got settled into their own chairs...

"And then Johnny said 'After I fix my bike'," explained Kitty as she retold what happened between her and Johnny. "And then I was like 'You said that last time'. And it was lucky for him Ember called. I was going to send him away for the next 11 hours.

"Why not twelve?" asked Spectra.

Kitty gave Spectra a 'You know why' look and smiled before saying, "You're terrible Spectra."

"With a capital T!" smiled the red head proudly before shifting her attention to the quiet but relaxing Ember who had her eyes closed. "And what about you Ember? Care to share how your relationship with Tin Butt Two is going?"

"Nothing big," replied the pop princess. "Same as usual."

"Rather dismissive. Are you sure nothing is going on?"

"I'm sure."

"Oh really? Then how come I got word that the two of you visited Amity Park yesterday?"

The ghostly pop princess' eyes popped opened and Kitty was surprised.

"The two of them?" questioned the biker babe. "What is she talking about Em?

"How did you know about that?" asked Ember after turning her head to face Spectra.

"Ember darling, you should know by now that secrets are rarely kept within the confines of the Ghost Zone," explained Spectra. "Gossip practically spreads like wildfire. Especially if a ghost or two happens to go through the Fenton Portal. Now spill the details sister."

Ember groaned before giving in. Sure she could have kept her mouth closed and not said a word but she knew how persistent Spectra could be when it came to finding out the truth. Also, there was the whole thing with Kitty staring at her with those pleading eyes. No one could resist those eyes unless they were blind.

"Alright..." relented the pop princess, "Skulker and I teamed up to take down dipstick."

"How did it go?" asked the red head.

"How do you think it went?"

"Well, I can't say I blame you for not wanting to share. I've suffered defeat because of him countless times. Still though, there's always next time to deal with Phantom."

"I don't want to think about him. I just want to relax and enjoy my day."

"Sounds good to me," agreed Kitty.

Spectra eyed Ember suspiciously and thought, "(Something is off about her. Usually, she'd talk trash about the half-brat until sundown.)"

Keeping her skepticism a secret, Spectra let Ember slide... for now.


	9. Going On Vacation

Much later on...

"I think that's everything," said Ember checking her items. "Thanks for agreeing to go shopping with me.

"No problem," replied Kitty, "I always love to shop."

Ember turned to Spectra and said, "I didn't expect for you to hop on the ride but I'm glad we ran into each other."

"Same here," agreed Spectra. "Its fun when us girls get together. We should do it more often."

And from there, Ember left the two after waving goodbye. When she was out of sight, Spectra turned to Kitty and asked, "Is it me or does something seem off about Ember?"

"What do you mean?" responded the biker babe.

"While we were getting our nails done, she seemed all too eager to drop the subject of Phantom."

"I did notice that but its probably just her still being upset about losing."

"She's lost to him before but that didn't stop her from dragging his name through the mud."

"You think that it could be something more?"

"Only one way to find out."

Sometime later at Skulker's Realm, the hunter was flipping over couch cushions.

"Blast it!" cursed the hunter. "Where is that TV remote?"

Hearing a knock on the door, he stopped what he was doing and went to answer it.

"What?" he asked after opening the door wide.

"How are you Skulker?" greeted Spectra with a friendly smile. "And is that any way to talk to two lovely young ladies?"

He huffed and blew out his nose.

"As far as I can tell there's only one young lady here in front me," stated Skulker. "And here's a hint. She's not you."

Kitty covered her mouth to keep herself from giggling out loud.

"Haha... very funny." responded the red head rolling her eyes. "Can you let us in now?"

Reluctantly, the hunter stepped to the side and allowed entry. When the two women got comfy on the couch, Skulker walked over to his one seater and sat down before asking, "What brings you two here?"

"Its about Ember," answered Kitty. "She seems... different."

"Different? What do you mean?"

"For starters," started Spectra before adding, "she avoided the topic of a certain ghost adolescence we all loathe."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"She never avoids talking about him," said the biker babe. "In fact, this is the first time that this has happened."

"I see. What do you want me to do about it? Talk to her?"

"Actually," said Spectra crossing one leg over the other, "we would like you to tell us everything that happened."

The hunter scratched the side of his head confused before asking, "She hasn't told you?"

"All she said was that you two teamed up and lost against Phantom," explained Kitty. "Beyond that we're clueless."

"Tell us everything so that we can better understand what went down," said the red head. "Perhaps we'll be able to help her."

"Very well," nodded Skulker before expounding the story to the ghost women. "The day before

yesterday, I went by her place to see if I could spend some quality time with her. She said she was busy and I proceeded to ask with what. She gave me no answer at first until I guessed that it had something to do with the whelp. Fortunately for me, I was correct. Then I asked if I could participate in her scheme and she said no. Not liking that answer, I said that I would get her that jacket she liked so much if she changed her mind. This worked and from there we formulated a plan to defeat the whelp. Then yesterday we put it into action."

"If you don't mind me asking," cut in Kitty, "What was your plan?"

"Simple. Phase 1, Knockout the power to the city in order to disable all anti-ghost security systems. Phase 2, Draw the whelp away from his home by use of his friend the mayor. Phase 3, kidnap his parents and girlfriend while he's distracted. And Phase 4, use the hostages as bait to lead him into our trap."

"Sounds like you covered all your bases," commented Spectra digesting the plan in her mind. "Difficult to see how it could go wrong."

"You could say the whelp pulled the rug right out from under our feet when we realized he had duplicated himself. But that's not the only rabbit he managed to pull out of his hat."

"What do you mean?" asked the biker babe.

"Right before his copy had disappeared, he said something that made Ember burn with rage. I was quite surprised that he could rile her up like that."

Interested by this bit of info, Spectra asked, "What did he say?"

The hunted rubbed his chin in thought and answered, "I believe he said something about that infamous time ghost and a girl named Amber. He also mentioned the circumstances of that girl's demise. I think she was a musician who died in an accident."

Spectra and Kitty exchanged looks with one another. Skulker noticed their expressions.

"What?"

Then the two stood up and made their way to the door with haste.

"Strange. But anyway, where is that infernal remote?!"

Switching over to Ember's realm...

The ghostly diva was coming up with a new song by writing down lyrics in her notebook.

"Yeah, that should work," Ember muttered to herself.

"I'd hate to interrupt a professional while she's brainstorming..." started Shadow.

"Then don't."

Shadowed ignored the response and continued with, "But I'm afraid something more annoying than me could be on the horizon if you don't leave ASAP."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you trust me?"

"No."

"Well... Ok. Have I lied to you thus far in the time that you've known me?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Alright. Well Kitty and Spectra are on there way over here and I believe that it is in your best interest if you get out of Dodge before they arrive."

"Why? I don't mind them coming over."

"You will this time. Remember when Phantom said all that stuff about you and Amber?"

The ghostly diva stopped writing and a look of horror flashed across her face.

"No way..." stammered the pop princess as a look of horror made itself known on her face. "How?!"

"Apparently, Spectra noticed your odd behavior when you didn't want to talk about Phantom," explained Shadow. "So she and Kitty went to Skulker's to investigate what happened."

"Leave it to Spectra to stick her nose where it doesn't belong..."

"Says the ghost who followed Danny Phantom to Clockwork's lair but I digress."

Ember fumed at Shadow's comment but had bigger fish to fry at the moment. So she calmed down and asked, "You sure they're coming?"

"Yep."

"How long before they get here?" asked the ghostly diva as she stood up from her desk chair.

"About a minute or two. Give or take."

"Crud!"

After grabbing her guitar and stuffing some items in a bag, the pop princess made her way out the realm with haste. Outside, she spotted Spectra and Kitty fast approaching.

"Look," said Kitty. "There she is."

"Hm? Is she leaving?" questioned Spectra.

"Hey Ember!"

Ember pretended like she didn't hear her friend and flew off.

"Let's see if we can catch up," said Spectra before the two sped up.

Ember flew faster and looked for somewhere to hide quick but couldn't find one.

"C'mon, c'mon...!" muttered the flame haired ghost to herself.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was trying to outrun us," said the red head.

"I see a bag in her hand," shrugged Kitty. "Maybe she's trying to go somewhere in a hurry."

"The portal's open...!" gasped Ember after a minute of cat and mouse.

Seeing the swirling green dimensional door, the pop princess decided to head towards it. Spectra and Kitty saw it too.

"Look!" pointed Kitty.

"I see it," responded Spectra. "Phantom's parents must have left it open again."

In the next moment, the steel doors of the portal began to close.

"No...!" sweatdropped Ember as she pushed her flying speed to the limit and going faster than before. "'I gotta make it through!"

Miraculously, she made it inside before the steel barriers came to an abrupt close. Spectra and Kitty halted in their tracks disappointed.

On the other side of it, Ember was in the Fenton Lab hovering in the air invisible. She sighed after barely making it there.

"Remember Jack," said Maddie talking with her husband, "No activating the Ghost Portal until the Power Plant is up and running. We want to make sure the generators last as long as possible. Ok?"

"Yes Maddie," replied Jack.

Then, the two left the area to go upstairs.

"That's a relief," sighed Ember. "Wouldn't want Kitty and Spectra showing up."

Then the diva made her way up through the ceiling.

In Danny's room, while he was in the middle of stabbing a victim in the eye thanks to the game he was playing, his ghost sense went off.

"Seriously!?" he said becoming angry. "Can I get a day to myself!?"

After pausing the game, he jumped up and transformed into his ghost half.

"Whoever that is is going to experience a real life interpretation of Green Undead Remission."

Switching back to Ember who came out the house and was hovering over it.

"It's raining?" she asked before frowning. "Man, this bites..."

Coming out of the house on cue, Danny warned, "Whoever you are, we can do this the easy way or the thermos way. Your call."

Ember turned around to see him with an annoyed look plastered across her face and a hand placed on her hip.

"You again? What do you want this time? If its a fight, I'll gladly..."

"Calm down dipstick," said Ember. "I'm not here to throw down."

She shook her head and frowned angrily.

"Stupid rain..."

"Ok..." the halfa said before asking, "Then why are you here?

The flame haired ghost didn't answer.

Danny folded his arms and said, "Well? I'm waiting."

"Let's talk inside," the pop princess said at last.

Without another word, the ghostly diva floated down through roof. Danny did the same and the two were now in his room. After dropping her bag on the floor, the pop princess went over to Danny's bed and lied back comfortably on it.

"That's my bed you know," pointed out Danny.

"Really? It's kinda small." commented Ember.

She crossed her feet and started playing her guitar while bobbing her head up and down. Not wanting to put up with the awkwardness of this uninvited guest, Danny quickly cut to the chase with, "Why are you here Ember?"

"Just needed a vacation."

"And you couldn't do that in another place? You know, like somewhere in the Ghost Zone?"

"Not really."

"You do realize that we're enemies right?"

"Last time I checked."

"I could also suck you into the thermos I'm holding."

"By all means," responded Ember with a shrug after glancing at it.

"And you realize I could send you back to the Ghost Zone whenever I felt like it."

"Actually, you can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I overheard your parents saying that they shut it down until the power was back up and running."

"Really?" asked the halfa with raised brows.

The ghostly diva nodded and said, "Really."

"Oh... well then... soooooo..." said Danny rubbing the back of his neck. "You're not going to... attack anybody?"

"Not unless provoked."

"And how are you doing by the way?"

"Fine. And you?"

"Good. Just... good."

The room got quiet for nealy a minute before Danny couldn't take it any longer.

"Alright, I'm just gonna say it. This is weird."

"I get it..." said the ghostly pop princess letting out an exasperated sigh as she ceased from playing her instrument. "You don't like me."

"Geez, you think? Could it be because of what happened yesterday or all the other times you tried to take over the world? Or could it be both? You tell me."

Ignoring his sarcasm, Ember continued with, "I'm willing to call a truce and play nice if you let me stick around."

"Stick around? Why would I want to do that?"

"Its better than me going to someone else's pad and scare them half to death."

"Or I can just cut out the middle man and keep you in my thermos until the portal is up and running."

"Like I said before, by all means. I won't stop you."

The ghostly diva proceeded to play her instrument again. Danny pulled out the thermos from behind his back and was about to use it. Ember looked out the corner of her eyes for a quick moment and closed her eyes somberly as she continued to play. Then she thought, "(I knew it.)"

"(Here goes.)" thought the halfa slowly motioning his hand to aim.

Danny's intention and resolve was set in stone until...

"Embrace me. Hold me in your arms," sang Ember.

The teen hero's hand faltered.

"Cherish me. I will warm your heart. My song will... top the charts. I'm tasty. Call me your pop tart."

"(She's singing...)" thought Danny, "(...and it sounds... good.)"

"You can have me... Just hold me tight. Warm me up. Cheer my name all night. Ember Mclain... Say it right. Love me... Let me be your light."

The thermos in Danny's hand fell to the floor and Ember noticed, but she kept on singing.

"In darkness... I'll light your way. In sorrow... I'll dry your tears. In winter... I'll be your heat. In the night... I'll be your treat."

After that last bit, Ember opened her eyes and looked to the ghost boy.

"So? What do you think? Pretty good right?"

"Wow..." blinked Danny, "I'm just... speechless. I mean, did you write that?"

"Some of it, but I thought up the rest on the spot. I don't know if its perfect yet so I'll write it down and look it over."

The ghostly diva reached down off the bed to grab her bag. After exploring its inner contents, she took out her notebook and a pencil before writing down the lyrics.

As she did so, Danny picked up the container and thought to himself for a few seconds before saying, "Hey Ember."

Without looking up, she said, "Yeah?"

"You promise not to do anything bad or threaten anyone?"

"Musician's honor."

"And if you do, I'll..."

"Thermos me."

"As long as you know, then we have a truce."

He transformed back to his normal self and left the room after that. Ember smirked as soon as the door shut and commented, "That was easy."

"I heard that!" shouted Danny from outside the room.

The smile on Ember's face turned into a frown.


	10. Room Service

On the way downstairs, Danny's mom happened to walk by.

"Oh Danny," said Maddie. "Good, I need to tell you something. About the portal..."

"I know," interrupted the halfa. "Its off until the Power Plant is up and running."

Surprised by his answer, she asked, "Yes, but how did you know that?"

"Um..." blinked the halfa. "Lucky guess?"

"Well alright."

Then his mother left him. After letting out a sigh of relief, he made his way off the stairs to the kitchen. Little did he know, his father was there.

"Hey, Danny," said Jack. "Look at what your old man made!"

Stunned by the size of the sub stacked on the counter in front of his father, Danny exclaimed, "Is that...?!"

"Yep! Your old man's famous Jack Mountain Sub!"

His father picked up the 12 inch thick sub and opened his jaw wide.

"AGH!"

"Dad!?" exclaimed the halfa seeing his father's jaw cramp up.

"No orrie shon! Your oh an eh a okay!" (Translation: No worry son! Your old man is a okay!)

Instead of attempting to take another bite, Jack took his sub with him out of the kitchen.

"That looked like it hurt," commented Shadow.

"Yeah, no kidding," agreed Danny before blinking. "Shadow?"

"I would say in the flesh but you know. So how's your progress with the game?"

"It was going great until an uninvited guest decided to show up and take refuge in my room."

"By uninvited guest you mean...?"

"Ember. She's a ghost musician that's one of my enemies."

"I know. I was there when you fought her and Skulker."

"Oh... right. I forgot. Kind of hard to remember considering I can't see you. Why is that?"

The halfa proceeded to gather the things he needed to make a sandwich.

"Maybe I'm just a figment of your imagination?" suggested Shadow.

"Nice try but no," said Danny. "Sam said she knew you too."

"Dang it...! You got me. Fine, I'll tell you why you can't see me. It's because I don't want you to."

Danny raised a suspicious brow and asked, "Why not?"

"Sorry buddy. That's an answer for another time. Until then, have fun with your burning new love."

"Burning new love? Who are you..." started the halfa before figuring out who Shadow meant and then becoming upset. "No way dude! Don't even joke about that! There is nothing going on between Ember and me!"

"Uh-huh."

"Whatever. I still don't want to hear you saying anything like that."

"Why not?"

"Because we're enemies."

"So if you weren't enemies, there'd be something going on between you...?"

Caught off guard by Shadow's question, the halfa scratched the side of his head and stammered, "That's um... well... I don't know if... uh..."

"Come on Danny, be honest. She's attractive right?"

"Um... yeah," replied the halfa turning red as a beet. "I uh... guess she is..."

Then he regained his composure.

"ANYWAY, we're enemies and there's nothing going on between us. End of story."

After the ghost boy placed two perfectly made sandwiches on each plate, he stacked one plate on top of the other and proceeded to grab two sodas from the freezer.

"You should cut off the crust," suggested Shadow.

"What?" asked Danny confused.

"You should cut off the crust for your guest."

"Why?"

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"Ok..."

From there, the ghost boy took Shadow's advice and did as suggested. Accomplishing that, he proceeded to go upstairs. Coming into his room a minute later, he found the ghostly diva still writing in her book.

"Lookin good so far..." Ember muttered.

"Hey um... are you hungry?" asked Danny.

She looked up from the book and saw what he had.

"Is that poisoned?" questioned the pop princess.

"Poisoned?" responded the halfa incredulously. "What kind of guy do you take me for?"

"Never know when it comes to an enemy," shrugged Ember.

Danny came over and handed her the plate with the crust cut off. Then he gave her a soda. She looked at the food with an eyebrow raised.

"You cut the crust off?"

"Yeah," answered Danny. "You don't like it?

"Actually, I like it this way. What made you do it?"

The halfa blinked twice and said, "Call it a sixth sense."

The flame haired ghost began eating one of her sandwiches and then she took a swig of her drink.

"(No way... Shadow couldn't have...)"

Shaking his head, Danny moved to sit down on the floor next to the bed and picked up the controller. After mashing the start button, his reign of undead terror began once more. As Ember ate, she glanced at the game on the screen.

"I see you like Green Undead Remission," commented Ember.

"Are you kidding?" replied Danny with a raised brow. "It's one of the best games of this century. Who couldn't possibly like it?"

"Its hard not to. The gore, mayhem, and violence is second to none."

Danny blinked after hearing her say that last sentence. It was almost like she took the words right of his mouth.

"You talk like you're a big fan of this game," said Danny

"I am," responded Ember. "I bought a copy when it first came out."

"You... bought this game?" asked the halfa after pausing the game to look at her skeptically.

"Yeah," answered the pop princess.

"Like went into the store and purchased it?"

"No. I ordered it online like everybody else in the Ghost Zone."

"What? Ghosts can do that?"

"Technus does his thing and we give him the cash. Plus a little tip for services rendered but that's paying the piper."

"You mean to tell me that all I had to do was pay Technus of all people to order it for me?!" said Danny facepalming. "I feel so stupid!"

"I thought you two were enemies?" asked Ember while eyeing him like he was crazy.

"Oh... right..."

Not wanting to embarrass himself any further, the halfa took a big bite of his sandwich and continued playing the game in silence.


	11. Easy Way Or The Ember Way

Sometime later...

"Danny!" called Maddie as the the sound of approaching footsteps made their way to Danny's door.

The halfa paused his game fast and looked to Ember before saying, "Oh no...! If she sees you...!"

"Calm down," said the pop princess not worried. "I'm a ghost remember?"

The ghostly diva turned invisible and so did her guitar plus the book she was holding.

"Right... forgot about that."

Then the doorknob twisted and the door came open to reveal his mother with an umbrella in hand.

"Your father and I have some business to take care of," said Maddie. "I don't know when we'll be back so it's your job to watch the house. No parties or friends over ok?"

"Seriously, mom?" replied Danny. "Who would throw a party while its raining?"

"Ok. Just checking."

She turned her attention to the plate on his bed which had a half eaten sandwich on it and then to the one on the floor with a small portion of a sandwich on it.

"Is someone else up here?"

"What?" asked the halfa. "No... why?"

"Are you sure?"

"Um... yeah."

"Then whose bag is that?" asked Maddie pointing to the black bag on the floor with the long straps and a golden star on the side.

"Oh... that's mine."

"I don't recall you having a bag like that..." said the Fenton Matriarch squinting her eyes at the bag in thought.

"It's um... brand new. It was a gift from... Sam. Yeah Sam."

"Ok... well you have fun sweety and remember not to..."

"Turn on the Ghost Portal. I got it."

She waved goodbye and closed the door behind her. As soon as the sound of her footsteps were well off, Ember turned visible and watched him slump down to the floor with a sigh.

"That was close..."

"You suck at lying dipstick," commented the pop princess.

"Its a good thing my parents aren't too bright huh?"

"The understatement of the year."

"Well at least I don't have to worry about anyone else barging in unexpectedly."

The halfa proceeded to pick up his controller and play Green Undead Remission again.

"So the house is free and clear?" asked Ember.

"Yep," answered Danny.

"Good."

Ember jumped up off the bed and readied her guitar.

"Uh... what are you doing?" questioned the teen hero.

"About to practice the song I wrote," responded the flame haired ghost. "Couldn't do it earlier because of obvious reasons."

"Must you?"

"Unless you want me to occupy my free time by kicking your butt then yeah."

Looking at her like she was insane, Danny asked, "So its either violence or music?"

"Take your pick babypop. Either way is fine by me."

The halfa teen let out an exasperated sigh and tossed a hand up lazily giving her the signal before saying, "You win. Music it is."

Ember smirked proudly and from there she carried out her jamming practice after moving to the side. To Danny's surprise, she wasn't loud or annoying. It was more heartfelt and longing than anything else. She used the same verses from earlier that he heard her singing but it was different. The guitar in combination with the lyrics was on a whole different level. All of a sudden, Danny sniffed and Ember heard it before stopping.

"What was that?" asked Ember.

"What was what?" asked Danny back.

She looked to Danny who seemed to be paying attention to the TV screen.

"(Must have been a figment of my imagination.)" thought the pop princess.

After that thought and a shrug, she continued her song. Halfway through it, Danny choked a little and Ember stopped again.

"Was that you?"

"Was what me?" asked the halfa.

"That noise just now."

"Sorry, I don't what you're talking about."

She eyed him skeptically and said, "Ok..."

Without taking her eyes off him, the pop princess started the song over and watched the ghost boy. When she was almost finished, the ghost boy choked up and sniffed. Right then, Ember stopped.

"I knew it! You were making noises! And don't try to deny it because I was watching you the whole time!"

"You caught me," admitted the teen hero before sniffing again as the controller in his hand dropped to the floor along with a single teardrop. "No use in trying to... to..."

Danny's head fell between his legs and he sniffed once more.

"...lie...!"

The halfa closed his eyes tight trying to fight back the tears.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Ember.

"It's nothing you should... worry about," said Danny. "It's my problem not... yours."

The ghostly diva's face hardened and she demanded, "If you're going to cry while I'm practicing then it is my problem so spill it."

"We're enemies. It wouldn't be right if I... HEY!?"

The ghostly diva came over and lifted him up by the shirt with one hand before tossing him onto the bed. Staring him directly in the eyes, she threatened, "Tell me now or else I'll make you with some mind control."

Staring back at her in shock for a few seconds, Danny eventually conceded and said, "Ok, I'll talk. Sam... broke up with me."

"You mean that goth chick you hang around?"

Danny nodded solemnly.

"(Had a feeling those two would end up together.) When did that happen? The breakup I mean."

"Remember when you followed me to Clockwork's place?"

"Don't remind me," said the pop princess folding her arms now feeling annoyed.

"Well it happened earlier that day right after school was over."

"You seemed fine last time I checked and up til this point so what gives? Why the sudden waterworks now?"

"I was fine but that song of yours... it reminded me of the times we spent together... and how I... we..."

Danny looked down from Ember without finishing. Then the flame haired ghost placed a hand on her hip as she thought, "(Who would have thought all it took to bring dipstick down was a breakup and a song.)"

"But nevermind that," said the halfa wiping his eyes dry before looking at her confidently with a smile. "You keep practicing. Don't stop on my account."

"Are you sure? I don't want to hear you crying like a little girl again. Not unless I'm blasting you into the next century."

"I'm sure," chuckled Danny.

Ember pointed with two of her fingers to her eyes and directed those fingers to him as she warned, "Alright, but I'm keeping my eye on you babypop."

Danny placed his hands flat against his cheeks and replied dramatically, "Oh no! I'm so scared!"

The flame haired diva rolled her eyes and then started practicing once more. This time around, the halfa kept his word like he said he would.


	12. It's On Like Shao Kahn

During Ember's 10th or 11th rehearsal, Danny's cell phone rang. He sat the controller in his hand down and answered the cell after seeing the picture of his sister pop-up.

"Hey Jazz. How's college treating you?" asked the halfa.

The ghostly pop princess listened to his conversation while playing but she stopped singing temporarily.

"That's good. Me? I'm just playing some games and is all. Has a ghost showed up today?"

Danny and Ember exchanged looks with each other.

"None that posed a real threat."

Ember raised a questioning 'Oh yeah?' brow and Danny replied to the diva with a confident 'Yep' nod.

"Mom and Dad are out doing something so its just me at home. I would go out but its raining. Also the power is out all over town. Oh right, I forgot to tell you. Skulker and his new sidekick attacked the other day."

Ember gave him a dirty look when he said sidekick and Danny turned away sweating a little.

"They ended up damaging the Power Plant in the process so a lot of people in town are without power. No, we have a generator so we're good for now. Look, I know you're worried but Amity Park has faced worse in the past. We'll get through this like all the other times. If anything, you should concentrate on getting all A's. Wouldn't want my sister to embarrass the Fenton name by getting a B. What? Who says I have three C's and a B? Mom and Dad? Well... you got me there."

The halfa chuckled before continuing with, "Anyway, it was good talking to you again. I'll let you know if anything changes. Talk to you later. Bye."

As soon as he hung up, something smacked him in the back of the head and he groaned. Turning around, he found Ember holding a pillow with a proud smirk.

"What was that for!?"

"I'm not a threat but a sidekick?" said the pop princess. "No way was I gonna let that slide."

"Fair enough..."

She tossed the pillow onto the bed and stated, "Oh no. You're not getting off that easy."

The ghostly diva proceeded to grab Danny by the shirt and dragged him upward through the ceiling to outside in the rain above his house.

"WHOA!" cried the halfa before Ember had tossed him away. The teen quickly transformed and floated across from her. "Hey! I thought you said we had a truce!?"

"We still do babypop," explained Ember as she used her guitar to send a skull beam his way. "We're just having a little fun to pass the time!"

The attacked connected sending Danny flying backwards many yards.

"Erg!" groaned Danny before shaking off the hit and getting his game face on. "Fun huh? Well you know what they say."

Concentrating for a few seconds, the ghost boy made two duplicates of himself.

"The more, the merrier."

Then all three Dannys flew at her simultaneously. Eyes widening slightly, the ghostly diva uttered, "Uh-oh..."

After dodging the first two with surprisingly good reflexes, Ember was hit by the third Phantom with a uppercut.

"Ugh!"

She flipped several times before regaining control.

"Let's do it Phantoms!" stated Danny 1.

"Gotcha!" agreed Danny 2.

"On three," said Danny 3.

Aiming, the trio's hands glowed with ecto energy.

"One..." counted Danny 1.

"Two..." counted Danny 2.

"Three!" shouted Danny three before the group fired ghost rays at their target.

Reacting quick, the ghostly diva countered by attacking with her own sound wave via use of her guitar. Their attacks had connected and they were now in a power struggle. Both sides grunted while trying to earn leeway. Ember played harder with her instrument causing it to increase in power. Danny on the other hand wasn't going to let her show him up so his duplicates merged with him giving him back full strength.

"Give up dipstick!" shouted Ember. "I can rock and roll all day and night!"

"Well, so can I!" retorted Danny back before adding, "Unfortunately, I have to go to school tomorrow!"

Pushing forward with their attacks, the two ghosts closed the distance between them. About 3 feet from the other, they were deadlocked. Staring each other in the eyes, they could feel fatigue setting in and so with one final push, they gave it their all and their colliding attacks exploded between them. The end result of all this made Danny crash onto one of the nearby roofs and transform back to his normal self. Ember on the other hand hit a Nasty Burger billboard and fell flat on her stomach. The rain drenched them even further while they were down. The two eventually groaned from their positions and stirred to consciousness after almost a minute had passed. Then they rose to their feet feeling groggy.

"That hurt..." muttered Ember shaking her head clear.

"Did I get hit by a car?" asked the teen hero rubbing his head.

"...Phantom...!"

"...Ember...!"

Danny transformed back into his ghost self and flew up to find his opponent. Ember rose into the air as well. It didn't take long for one to find the other and they met up. When they did, their expressions softened with a smile and the two laughed.

"Not bad," said the giggling pop princess. "Not bad at all Dipstick."

"You're pretty strong yourself," complimented the halfa chuckling a bit. "Even without the power up from screaming fans."

She placed a hand on her hip and stuck out her fist towards him before saying, "Got that right and don't you forget it. Or there will be an encore beat down waiting for you."

Danny put his hands out in front of him in a show of not wanting to cross her again. Then he replied, "Ok. I got it. You're tough. Now can we finally get out of this rain and go back to my house?"

"On one condition," answered Ember with a coy smile.

"I don't like the sound of that..." gulped Danny.


	13. Opportune Moment

Sometime later in Danny's room, Ember laughed sitting on his bed while pointing a finger at him.

"Carry on my wayward soooooon!" sang Danny into a microphone. "There'll be peace when you are done! Lay your weary head to reeeeeeest! Don't you cry no more!"

After taking a sip of the hot cocoa in her hand, the ghostly diva shouted, "Come on babypop! I wanna hear you bring the house down!"

"All right. You asked for it. ONCE I ROSE ABOVE THE NOISE AND CONFUSION! JUST TO GET A GLIMPSE BEYOND THIS ILLUSION!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" cheered the flame haired ghost. "Keep it loud and proud!"

"I WAS SOARING EVER HIGHER! BUT I FLEW TOO HIGH!"

Then the halfa pointed to his eyes.

"THOUGH MY EYES COULD SEE I STILL WAS A BLIND MAN!"

Next Danny pointed to side of his head next.

"THOUGH MY MIND COULD THINK I STILL WAS A MAD MAN!"

Right after, he placed his hand behind his ear.

"I HEAR THE VOICES WHEN I'M DREAMING! I CAN HEAR THEM SAAAAAAY!"

And at this point, the teen hero improvised to the pop princesses' surprise.

"REMEMBER THE GIRL NAMED EMBER MCLAAAAIN! ONCE YOU MEET HER YOU'LL GO INSAAAAAANE! WATCH OUT CAUSE SHE'LL BRING THE PAAAAAAAIN! SHE'LL MAKE YOU CRY A LOT!"

"Oh yeah?" remarked Ember finishing the last bit of cocoa in her cup before standing up and conjuring a microphone into her hand. "That's how you want to play it? Well two can play that game. "DIPSTICK THINKS HE'S A HERO BUT HE SUCKS BIG! WITH MY HANDS I COULD BREAK HIM LIKE A SMALL TWIG! AND IF HE CLAIMS THAT I AM LYING, WELL! THEN THAT MEANS WE WILL FIGHT AGAIN! I'LL DRAG HIM OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN LIKE BEFORE! HE WILL GET A TASTE OF A BEATDOWN ONCE MORE! I'LL RAINDOWN ON HIM LIKE A DOWNPOUR! WOULD BABYPOP LIKE TO PLAAAAAAAY!?"

Danny backed away as he shook his head with a nervous smile. She smirked in satisfaction at his response and the two continued the original song together with, "CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON! THERE'LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE! LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REST! DONT YOU CRY NO MORE! NO!"

Danny and Ember closed the gap between them before singing more to their hearts' delight.

"CARRY ON, YOU WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER! CARRY ON, NOTHING EQUALS THE SPLENDOR! NOW YOUR LIFE'S NO LONGER EMPTY! BUT SURELY HEAVEN WAITS FOR YOU! CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON! THERE'LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE! LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REST!"

Then Ember allowed Danny to sing by himself, "DON'T YOU CRY!"

Next Danny allowed Ember to sing by herself, "DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!"

Finally, they looked each other in the eyes and raised their voices to the max with, "NO MORE!"

Smiling at one another after the duet was finished, they took in several deep breaths.

"Wow..." panted the pop princess. "You got a set of lungs underneath that... scrawny build of yours.

"I'll have you know... I'm not scrawny," corrected the halfa. "My clothes... just make me look that way."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Prove it," dared Ember with raised a brow.

"Fine," said Danny grabbing the bottom of his shirt and lifting it up to reveal his chest and abs. "See?"

"Whoa..." uttered the pop princess getting a good look at what was in front of her. "You weren't kidding."

"It's like I said," said the teen hero with closed eyes and a proud smile. "Not scrawny. Ow!"

Danny gave her a glare.

"Why did you pinch my stomach!?"

"Had to make sure you weren't sucking it in babypop," answered Ember.

The halfa eyed her suspiciously after sliding his shirt down and asked, "Are you sure it wasn't some sort of payback for the song?"

"Can't say the thought didn't cross my mind," shrugged the pop princess with a smirk.

"Can I ask you something?" asked Danny after his facial expression had softened.

Sensing that the direction of their conversation was heading in a different direction, Ember crossed her arms. "What is it?"

"It's about what Clockwork told me about you."

"Hold on. This is about all that junk you repeated to me during our fight right?"

"Yeah."

She turned away from him and stated, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"But its true though right?"

The ghostly diva didn't reply at first but after feeling the stare from the halfa for a good minute or two she let out a sigh and answered, "Yeah... it's true."

"...Sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" asked Ember after looking over her shoulder. "You didn't kill me."

Scratching the side of his head, he explained, "I know but I insulted you during our fight. I said you were sad, miserable and cold-hearted."

"You also called me an attention hog."

"Not apologizing for that one. You and I both know its true."

"(Can't argue with that. I do love the spotlight.)"

"Well anyway, it was wrong of me to say those things and I apologize."

She turned around to face him again and could see that he was being sincere with his apology.

"Don't worry about it," said the flame haired ghost. "It's water under the bridge."

Danny nodded with a smile and it made the ghostly diva feel uncomfortable on the inside so she looked away. Then she said, "Since you brought up Clockhead, I wanted to ask you something too. About what he said dealing with the future you."

"I had a feeling you would," said Danny walking over to his bed and sitting down. "What do you wanna know?"

"He said that you died and your ghost half became more evil in the future. I don't get how that could happen. Isn't both parts of you supposed to be some goody-goody two shoes?"

"I'd like to think that but the me of that future went through a lot."

"The test right?"

"Not just that. I..." started Danny as he looked down to the floor and then correcting himself. "...he lost more than he could handle."

"By that you mean..."

"His best friends, his sister, and his parents. He... lost them all."

Shocked by the news, the pop princess' eyes widened and her jaw dropped to the floor.

"Everyone he ever cared about died in an explosion."

"That's why the future you became evil?" asked Ember.

Danny shook his head before saying, "No. He lost the will to be a hero and asked his arch-enemy Vlad Masters to rip the ghost and emotions out of him."

"Rip emotions out of him? Is that possible?"

"Apparently and Vlad obliged because he felt sorry for him. But in doing so, the ghost half that was ripped out with the emotions returned the favor to Vlad himself by taking out his ghost half too. And that's when the nightmare started."

"The two teamed up?"

"More like a fusion. My... his ghost overshadowed Vlad's and then the end result was the dark future me you saw in Clockwork's time window."

Gasping in shock again, Ember felt like an invisible bus hit her. Seeing that she was stunned, Danny decided to continue.

"The evil ghost that was born, it... killed him. The future me. The human part."

It was in that moment, Ember sat down on the bed beside Danny and looked him seriously in the eyes before asking, "Why would he kill you? You were his human half and he was your ghost half."

"I asked myself the same thing but all I could come up with was Vlad's evil half and future me's negative feelings must have corrupted the ghost to the point where he didn't care about anyone. And so he inflicted chaos on the world and the Ghost Zone."

"The latter including sabotaging my vocal cords," muttered the ghostly diva massaging her neck.

Danny nodded before saying, "But with some help from Clockwork, we managed to avoid all that."

"So that evil jerk is history?"

"Locked up is more like it."

"Locked up? You mean like Walker's Prison?"

"More like 'inside of a Fenton Thermos guarded by Clockwork' locked up."

"And he's been like that for how long?"

"About 2 years."

"(That's a relief. Wouldn't want a maniacal future dipstick to deal with. The present one is annoying enough as it is.)" sighed Ember while thinking. Then after a few seconds a question came to mind. "How come you let me go the other day?"

"What?"

"You know, after Skulker and I battled you. Why'd you let me go?"

The halfa looked up in thought before answering, "I don't know to be honest."

"You expect me to buy that?" said the pop princess while folding her arms.

"I wish I could tell you differently but I cant," shrugged the halfa. "I don't know why I did that. It was more of my instincts guiding me than my brain coming to that decision."

"Your instincts? So it wasn't anything else?"

"Nope. That's pretty much it."

She looked down to the side in thought. Then she asked, "So... what are your instincts telling you now?"

"Nothing."

"You're not worried that I might try to attack you while your guard is down?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I trust you wont."

"But why is that? Why would you trust me, your enemy?"

"What's with the sudden interest in how I think and feel?" asked the halfa realizing that he was being bombarded with a string of questions. "What does it matter to you?"

The pop princess grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him in close to her face as she growled, "Because you annoy the crap out of me!"

Taken aback by her reaction, Danny looked at her like she was crazy.

"How can you act normal around me after I helped kidnapped your family and friends!? How can you stand to be around me after I tried to take over the world so many times!? Why do you trust that I'll keep my word when I've done nothing but make your life a living hell!?"

"It's because I believe there's some good in you," answered the teen hero.

"Good in me? HAHAHAHA!"

Ember let go of his shirt and laughed hard while clutching her sides. Danny continued to look at her seriously without being bothered by her outburst.

"I didn't think you could make me laugh so hard but you proved me wrong dipstick. Trust me when I tell you that there's no part of me that's good."

After noticing that he wasn't saying anything, Ember stopped laughing and her smile faded.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's because I know when someone is lying to themselves," said Danny.

"I'm not in denial!" stated the pop princess as she stood up with clenched fists. "You're the one that's delusional!"

"Ok then," responded the halfa as he stood up to look her in the eyes. After a few seconds, he turned away. Then he said, "Prove it."

"What?" asked the ghostly pop princess' with her glare subsiding.

After pointing his thumb at his back, Danny explained, "If there's no trace of good in you then hit me with everything you got while my back is turned."

"You're kidding right?"

"No, I'm dead serious."

Seeing that he wasn't playing around, Ember sweatdropped and then she remembered something. "I can't because of the truce remember?"

Danny turned to face her and fired a ghost ray at her. She hit the wall behind her with a loud thud.

"Ugh!"

"Consider it broken."

"You're gonna get it now Dipstick!" declared Ember as she glared daggers at him after recovering. Her hair flared ominously as she readied her guitar in fury by changing its setting.

Danny spread his arms out with a smirk and thought, "(We'll see about that.)"

"(Why isn't he...) How come you're not changing!?"

"Like I said before. If there's no trace of good in you then hit me with everything you got while my guard is down."

"Fine! Take this!"

Danny closed his eyes as she took aim. Then, when the moment of truth came, Ember hesitated and her hands shook.

"(Come on! He's the one who attacked you! Pay him back!)"

She grimaced as a memory came to mind.

_[Memory Start]_

_Danny walked over and behind the pop princess before helping sit her up. Surprised by the sudden action, Ember stopping crying immediately and asked, "W-what are you doing?!"_

_"There you go," said the halfa before moving to sit down in front of her indian style. Then he asked, "So... what's wrong?"_

_"I don't need your charity!" humphed the sad but angry Ember as she folded her arms before turning away with a humph. "I don't need your charity! Just suck me up into your soup container and be done with it!"_

_"Usually, I wouldn't hesitate to do so but you don't seem like the normal you and that bothers me."_

_She turned her head to glare at him before spatting, "And how would you know the normal me? You think that I'm just a sad, miserable, cold-hearted, attention hog of a ghost who wants to take over the world!"_

_"Ok... I totally deserved that but you're not exactly miss transparent," said Danny rubbing the back of his neck before adding, "Its kind of hard to see past the world domination side of you."_

_"Fair point," relented the pop princess as her face softened. Then she asked, "So... you asked what's wrong with me?"_

_"Yep."_

_"And you... genuinely want to know?"_

_"If it will help you feel better."_

_Later in the conversation..._

_"I... I'm feeling better now," replied the flame-haired ghost shaking her head a little._

_"Really?"_

_After folding her arms and looking away, the pop princess nodded and said, "Yeah. You can trap me in that thermos whenever you're ready."_

_Danny looked down at the thermos in his hand, then back to the ghostly pop princess._

_"I think I'll pass," said Danny standing up from the ground with a smile._

_Confused, Ember turned her head to look at him._

_"Just do me a small favor in return by staying out of trouble."_

_[Memory End]_

Changing her mind at the last second, Ember decided to ram the head of her instrument into his midsection. Danny fell to his knees after the wind was knocked out of him and clutched his stomach. The flame haired ghost proceeded to gather her possessions. When that was accomplished, she glared at the halfa and said, "You're lucky I gave my word otherwise I'd finish you off."

The halfa coughed before lifting his head to look her defiantly in the eyes. Then he asked, "Are you sure it's not... because you're not as evil as... you think?"

The ghostly diva growled as a swirl of blue flames wrapped around her body and in the next moment, she was gone.

* * *

AN: You know... Danny could have made out with Ember when she asked him what his instincts were telling him.


	14. Let's Be Frank

Appearing back in her realm in the Ghost Zone, Ember proceeded attack everything in sight with her guitar as she yelled, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Mirror, chair, desk, sofa, TV, coffee table, bed... nothing was spared from Ember's hot anger.

"STUPID DIPSTICK! Stupid, Stupid, STUPID!"

Running out of things to wreck, the pop princess inhaled and exhaled sharply.

"Um... are you..." started a hesitant Shadow.

She looked around the room menacingly and threatened, "If you even finish that question I'll...!"

"Do nothing because you can't see me, but yeah I get the picture."

"Good."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because talking to you is the reason I'm in this mess!"

"I'm responsible for... what again?"

"Nice try but I'm not talking!" stated the pop princess folding her arms.

"Ok... since you don't want to explain what I'm responsible for, then I guess I'll just take a shot in the dark. Its because I warned you about Spectra and Kitty right?"

"Good guess..."

"And because I warned you, something ended up making you angry after you made your quick escape?"

"Something like that..."

"So in other words, its all my fault you got angry over that something which had absolutely nothing to do with me whatsoever?"

Ember didn't respond.

"Ember? Hello?"

"I get it! Its not your fault! You didn't make me go through the Fenton Portal and you didn't make me hang out with Dipstick Phantom and you didn't make him push my buttons to see if I would try to kill him or not!"

After yelling that last part out, Ember blinked twice and facepalmed.

"See?" asked Shadow. "Was that so hard?"

"You're an annoying jerk, you know that?" sighed the pop princess as she sat down on the recked queen sized bed.

"That's Mr. Annoying Jerk to you."

The ghostly diva rolled her eyes.

"All joking aside, how did you end up hanging out with him?"

"It was raining and I didn't feel like searching for another place to lie-low in," explained Ember.

"I thought it was something else that made you stay there. Oh well, silly me."

"What do you mean 'something else'?" asked the pop princess raising a brow while looking around the room.

"Nothing, nothing."

The ghostly diva narrowed her eyes and demanded, "Shadow... out with it."

"I don't know... I mean a girl hanging out at a guy's place seems odd... especially if both parties are ghost-related. And not only that, you said you had a dream about him so I thought that..."

"No! Heck no! H-E-double hockey sticks no! It was NOT like that!"

"Ok. But what I can't figure out is how you persuaded him to let you hang around. Did you brainwash him or something?"

"It was easy. All I had to do was agree to a truce."

"You kidding me? A truce? He let you stay based on your word alone? Is he really that gullible?"

"Well..." started the ghostly diva with an embarrassed smile before explaining, "Some music and singing helped sway him from not shoving me into a thermos."

"I knew it! You sly ghost, you totally used mind control."

With a smug look, Ember locked her fingers behind her head before saying, "Actually, you're wrong on that one. The song by itself worked its own magic. As it turns out, it reminded him of his goth ex- girlfriend."

"And how would you know that?" asked Shadow.

"He told me."

"That's interesting. What else did he tell you?"

"Stuff about his future self."

"I bet that 'stuff' wasn't good."

"Wasn't good? It was worse than that Techno-geek friend of his ruining my first worldwide televised concert. Just thinking about it gives me the chills. And I'm a fire core."

"At least that's something we don't have to live through."

"Amen to that."

"Moving on... other than the talking aspect, how did he treat you compared to how someone would treat a normal guest?"

"More or less the same. Although, he totally caught me off guard by bringing me a pop and some food."

"Holy cow!? There isn't a bad bone in that Phantom's body, is there?!"

"You're telling me? I didn't even have to ask."

"No freaking way!?"

"Yes freaking way. And to top it all off, he cut the crust off my sandwiches. How did he know to do that? Not even my boyfriend Skulker could remember that and I told him like a million times."

"I think I'm gonna need a new brain because my mind is blown."

"Its weird to think that Dipstick off all people would go the extra mile for someone like me. Even considering I what I did to him not too long ago."

"Then again, it shouldn't be that surprising. The whole goody two shoes complex practically oozes off of him like sweat on an athlete."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," nodded Ember in agreement.

"How could you take being around him? It must have been really difficult."

She lied back on the destroyed bed before explaining, "It wasn't hard to be honest. He mostly kept to himself by playing his game and I worked on my song."

"So there wasn't any hostile tension between you two like usual?"

"I wouldn't call it hostile but there was a period where we blew off some steam by duking it out."

"I take it he won and you lost?"

"Nope. It was draw."

"Yeah right. And I'm the cookie monster. Gimme Cookie! Nom nom nom!"

"You calling me a liar?"

"'World hero Danny Phantom, who defeated both you and Skulker all by himself, ended up in a stalemate against you.' Does that sound believable?"

"When you say it like that it doesn't. But it's the truth."

"The only way I can imagine you tying with him is either A, he didn't use all of his powers. B, you had a very large crowd chanting your name. Or C, some underhanded tactics were in play that worked to your advantage."

Brows furrowing at my logic, the ghostly diva responded by saying, "Or it could be D. I'm just as strong as he is."

"Sorry. History would not support D so no and I doubt B because it was raining and you weren't holding any tours/concerts. So its either A or C."

The ghostly diva became silent.

"Which one is it Ember? A or C?"

Feeling annoyed by Shadow's question, she muttered low, "It wasn't C..."

"Well what do you know? A is the last remaining logical explanation."

Becoming more annoyed, Ember argued, "So what if he didn't use all of his powers?! I could have still tied him even if he did!"

"You mean you could have tied him if he used his ice powers? The same ice powers that beat you before?"

"Ugh... (It's not my fault I'm not good against ice attacks...)"

"Not only that, but he also has a ghostly wail which is capable of taking out an mob of ghosts in a single use. Still think you could rival him?"

"Whatever..."

"Don't feel discouraged. I'm sure you could beat him someday... 'if' you had the right training."

"Right training?" said the pop princess sitting up with a raised brow. "You mean like pushups, crunches and the usual exercise routines? I already do that stuff."

"Not that but I can see the fruits of your hard work. Looking good by the way."

"Uh... thanks? So what training could help me beat Phantom?"

"I'm not gonna tell you."

"Why not?" questioned the ghostly diva scowling.

"Because you're an ungrateful little popsicle princess who refuses to say thank you after I helped you out thus far."

"You can't be for real. What exactly should I be thanking you for?"

"Bailing you out with Skulker, keeping your plan a secret, warning you about Spectra and Kitty..."

"Hey, I never asked you to butt into my life!" interrupted Ember.

"So you want me to butt out? Fine, I won't help you out anymore. I'll just go to Phantom and see if he appreciates my assistance."

"Hold up. I thought you hated Dipstick too?"

"I'm neutral towards him. Just like I am with you. Except you're a lot more interesting to hang around."

"Oh..." uttered the flame haired ghost blinking twice.

"Well, see ya around."

"WAIT!"

"What?"

Through gritted teeth, the ghostly pop princess muttered low, "Thanks..."

"Huh? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you clearly. Could you speak up?"

Swallowing her pride, Ember repeated a little louder, "I said thanks."

"For?"

Nearly blowing a gasket, the flame haired ghost had to bite her lip to keep her anger in check so she could explain, "Ugh... for helping... me..."

She shuddered at her own words with a groan.

"Now can you tell me what kind of training would help me beat Phantom?"

"I could but I won't..." started Shadow.

All of a sudden the ghostly diva's hair flared erratically and she growled, "Grr...! You annoying...!"

"Calm down. I wasn't finished."

Ember inhaled and exhaled deep out her nose. Because of this her hair mellowed out.

"Picking up where I left off. I could tell you what kind of training would help you defeat Phantom but I won't unless you do me two little favors."

"What favors?" asked the pop princess.

"The first is convince Kitty and Spectra that you've fallen in love with Danny Phantom."

"W-what!?" gasped Ember in shock as her eyes widened.

"You heard me."

Coming back to her senses, Ember spat, "Not a chance! I'm not gonna say I'm in love with Dipstick! Not in a million years!"

"Why not? It's just a lie to get them off your back."

Raising a questioning brow, Ember responded, "Get them off my back?"

"Isn't telling a lie better than clearing up the whole Phantom/Amber thing to them? Namely Spectra, who is persistent as a cop chasing a bank robber."

"I guess you have a point," said the flame haired ghost folding her arms and seeing the logic. "Fine, I'll tell them. And the second favor?"

"First, call your friends over and deal with that favor. Then, we'll cross that second bridge later."

Taking out her cell, Ember threatened, "Ok... but if you're lying..."

"You'll what? Attack me? Beat me up? How could you possibly do those things if you can't see me?"

Grumbling one last time, Ember dialed up her two friends.


	15. Ember For Your Thoughts

Sometime later in Ember's living room...

"Thanks for stopping by," thanked Ember.

"It's no problem girl," dismissed Kitty.

"We're glad that you called us," said Spectra. "After all, we had some questions that we wanted you to address."

"Yeah I know."

The biker babe and the misery leech blinked twice and asked in unison, "You do? How?"

"I wasn't acting like myself earlier and I figured you two would worry about me."

"So you're ready to talk about what was bothering you?" asked the biker babe.

"No time like the present," shrugged the flame haired ghost.

"We're all ears," said Penelope crossing one leg over the other.

Ember then took in a deep breath and exhaled before explaining, "Ok. This isn't easy for me to say but... I'm starting to have feelings for Phantom."

Jaws dropping to the floor, both Spectra and Kitty gasped in bewilderment. After exchanging looks with one another, they turned to Ember once more.

"What?!" exclaimed Kitty.

"This can't true!?" cried the red head in bewilderment. "Could it?!"

Ember nodded solemnly.

"How?!" asked the biker babe before revising her question. "I mean... when did this happen?!"

"It happened um..." started Ember trying to think but luckily Shadow decided to intervene and whisper in her ear. Then she repeated, "...the night he beat me and Skulker. I was so angry at him that I couldn't think straight. So much so that I had a dream with him in it as a prince who was trying to rescue me... (C'mon Shadow! Really?! A PRINCE!?)"

"Oh wow," uttered Kitty. "No wonder you didn't want to talk about it."

"Talk about a nightmare," chimed in Spectra.

"It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it..." groaned the pop princess.

"So what are you gonna do about it?" asked the biker babe.

"Nothing. I'm just gonna wait it out until it blows over."

Eyeing Ember with concern, Spectra asked, "Are you certain that's a good idea? I mean, this is your actual feelings we're talking about. Not some storm or hurricane."

"Good idea or not, I have music I need to write and songs that need tweaking. I can't waste time on that crap."

"But Em..." frowned Kitty. "If you ignore those feeling and not deal with them, it could end up making you miserable down the road."

"I'm not ignoring them Kitty. That's why I called you two; so I can get them out and not hold them in. I don't want to keep this from anybody."

"It was good that you told us Ember," nodded the red head. "This shows that you've taken the first step in dealing with this issue."

"Spectra's right," agreed the biker babe. "I'm glad you shared this with us."

"Thanks guys," smiled the pop princess.

"Now..." started Spectra with an amused smirk. "Tell us exactly how 'Prince Phantom' rescued you in that dream of yours?"

"Fine..." sighed Ember with a roll of the eyes.

Later, after Kitty and Spectra left for the night, the pop princess yawned.

"Looks like somebody had fun," commented Shadow.

"Yeah," agreed the flame haired ghost. "That actually went better than I expected."

"See? I told you my plan would work. Now what do you say to the nice Shadow that helped you?"

"Thanks."

"Huh? No groaning or complaining? Who are you and what did you do to the real Ember?!"

Rolling her eyes, the pop princess replied, "She's taking a break. So anyway, what's the next favor I have to do?"

"It can wait til tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Why?"

"Because you're gonna need all your energy. So count those sheep and catch some Z's."

"Alright," folded Ember with a yawn. "First thing tomorrow?"

"Yep. See ya tomorrow."

Switching over to the Fenton residence, Danny was in bed thinking about what had transpired earlier with Ember.

"What's up DP?" greeted Shadow.

"Holy crap!?" shrieked Danny nearly having a heart attack as he almost fell out of bed. "Oh... its just you Shadow. You know, you should wear a bell around your neck. That is if you have a neck."

"I have a neck, but nevermind that. So what's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Come on... we both know that's not true. You're thinking about Ember right?"

"Yeah..." sighed the halfa heavily.

"How come?"

"Because I thought I could help change her."

"Danny, Danny... you know absolutely nothing about changing women. Let alone ghost women."

"And you're supposed to be an expert?"

"I know not to try and change her by blasting her with a ghost ray. Come on man, you seriously didn't think that was gonna work did you?"

"Uh... at the time it seemed plausible."

"Well anyway, you went about it the wrong way. For one, she's not a big fan of yours. That means violence will only backfire in your face. Secondly, she's a ghost that is your enemy. Ghosts are usually vengeful so you basically screwed yourself. Thirdly, all throughout history, a male attacking a female unprovoked never ends up painting the male in a good picture."

"Sounds like you know what you're talking about," commented Danny now listening more intently.

"That's because I do know what I'm talking about."

"Any helpful suggestions?"

"I'm not gonna lie to you. She's probably pissed at you and knowing her, its not gonna go away anytime soon. However, there is light at the end of the Mclain tunnel. But... are you willing to brave the darkness to reach it?"

"Of course I am."

"You sure? Even if it means giving up your own life for her?"

Sweatdropping a little, Danny asked, "My own life? You mean I might... die?"

"That's exactly what I mean. So are you sure you want to help change her?"

Thinking hard for nearly a minute, the halfa came to a decision with a determined face.

"I'm sure," answered the teen hero. "Now what do I have to do?"

"In order to sway Ember to the light, you have to..."


	16. Early Birds

The next day, early in the morning around 5, Danny snuck down to the lab and activated the ghost portal. As soon as it opened, he jumped into it and flew through the spooky Ghost Zone.

"Hey, I thought your parents said not to activate the ghost portal?" asked Shadow.

"They did," yawned Danny. "I'm just gonna do one little thing and mosey on back before... they realize I did."

"Ok."

Coming upon a certain door with a golden star on it, Danny read the name plastered in the middle of it and knocked.

"Ugh..." groaned the person from the other side. "Who could be up this early?"

Door swinging open, Ember Mclain saw the last person she expected to see.

"Dipstick?! What are you doing at my door!?"

"I stopped by to say I'm sorry for what I did to you yesterday," started the halfa. "And I... huh!?"

"Sorry babypop," scowled Ember grabbing him by the front of his hazmat suit. "I'm not going to forgive you this time! But I will kick your butt as a consolation prize!"

Pulling him into her realm and closing the door, the pop diva proceeded to beat the stuffing out of Danny.

"AGH! OW! OOF! ERG!" cried the teen hero.

"What's the matter?" asked the pop princess. "Did that hurt? Well, I'm just getting started! Take this!"

"ACK! OUCH! GAH!"

After a powerful blast of music, Danny hit the wall hard and fell to the floor slumping against it. The ghostly diva walked over to him and raised her guitar like it was a baseball bat. Danny picked his head up and barely got his eyes open to see what was coming next.

"Uuuuuuuuugh..."

**WHAM!**

The halfa was out like a light as he transformed back to his human form.

"That felt good," sighed Ember in satisfaction.

"Good morning Ember," greeted Shadow.

Looking around, the pop princess stated, "You're here early."

"You know what they say. The early bird catches the worm."

"Speaking of worms, I caught one and beat it real good."

"I see. Looks like you did that second favor for me."

"What? You mean thrashing Dipstick was it?"

"Yeah."

Blinking several times, Ember proceeded to ask, "So you're gonna tell me about the training now?"

"After you take Phantom back home."

"Take him home? Are you kidding me?"

"I am not."

She looked at the unconscious teen on the floor and sighed again. "Fine..."

After lifting up Danny over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Ember proceeded to fly out her realm through the Ghost Zone to the Fenton Portal. Little did she know, Spectra's assistant Bertrand was watching her like a hawk from nearby. As a matter of fact, he was disguised as a hawk too.

"That's interesting," remarked Bertrand. "I better tell Spectra the news."

Flying away gracefully, Bertrand headed to his boss lair.

Minutes later, Ember passed through the Fenton Portal and flew upward through the ceiling until she made it to Danny's room. When she got there, she saw a bunch of papers crumpled up all over the place.

"This place needs cleaning up," Ember commented.

After placing Danny down on his bed, the halfa groaned, "Ugh..."

She turned to see if he was waking up. Fortunately for her, he was still out like a light. The pop princess was about to turn away and leave until Danny uttered something in his unconscious state.

"Sor... ry... I shouldn't have... hurt... Em... ber..."

"Got that right babypop," said the flame haired ghost before turning intangible and sinking down through the floor until she reached the lab. As soon as she was about to go through the portal...

"Hold on Ember," said Shadow.

Ember stopped and asked, "What now?"

"Before you go back, shutdown the portal."

"Why?"

"So his parents won't know he ever used it."

"Why should I care about that? Its not my problem if he gets in trouble."

"You're ok with him taking the heat for trying to apologize to you? Are you cold-hearted or something?"

"Grr... fine. You win."

After hitting the button, Ember quickly made her way back into the Ghost Zone as the doors closed shut.

"All right Shadow. I did your favors. Now what about the training?"

"Go to Clockwork's place and he'll lead you in the right direction," explained Shadow.

"Clockhead?"

"Yep."

"You sure about this?"

"Have I given you a reason not to trust me thus far?"

"No, but there's always a first."

"Fair point."

"Good morning Ember," called a familiar voice ahead.

The ghostly diva noticed Spectra hovering there in her path and came to a stop a few feet away from the misery glutton.

"Spectra?" questioned Ember. "I thought you usually sleep til 9?"

"Usually," responded the red head. "But I heard that a certain ghost brat payed you a little visit so I came to check on you."

Placing a hand on her hip, the pop princess asked, "How do you know that?"

"My assistant told me. So are you ok? Nothing bad happened I hope."

Ember was about to respond, but Shadow whispered something in her ear and she repeated aloud, "As it turns out, Dipstick wanted to hook up with me, but I turned him down flat after kicking him to the curb."

Blinking in shock, Spectra responded, "Well I never thought he was interested in you."

Shrugging, the ghostly diva continued with, "It caught me off guard too. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. What teenage boy doesn't find me irresistible?"

"What I don't understand is why you turned him down? Didn't you say you had feelings for him?"

"I did but as soon as I saw him begging like some pathetic loser, my interest died."

"Looks like you're back to normal again," giggled Spectra out of pleasure. "Guess you don't need me and Kitty to watch your back huh?"

"Nope," smiled the pop princess proudly.

"Alright then. Call me later ok?"

"Sure."

With that said, Spectra flew off from sight.

"Nosey little..." started Ember before grumbling the last word while heading for Clockwork's place. Upon arriving there sometime later, she slowly made her way inside up to the top of the tower.

"Hello Miss Mclain," greeted Clockwork. "I've been expecting you."

Raising a brow as she approached, Ember asked, "You have?"

"Of course. I am the master of time. Therefore, I know who will stop by my realm at any given moment."

"So you know why I'm here?"

"You wish to train in order to defeat Daniel Fenton, better known to the world as Danny Phantom."

"And you don't have a problem with me doing that?"

"No."

"But I thought you two were friends?"

"We are."

"Then why don't you turn me away to protect him?"

"Why indeed?" smirked the ghost of time, but it dissipated from his face a moment later and he became serious. "But enough about him. What about you miss McLain? Are you ready to begin what will be one of the most difficult challenges of your afterlife?"

"Do you even have to ask? Also, stop calling me miss Mclain."

He chuckled a bit before replying, "No, but its better to ask than to move forward without verbal confirmation. Regardless, let us begin."

The ghost of time directed his staff and a door manifested next to Ember.

"Open the door and step inside the Time Chamber."

Doing as directed, Ember grabbed hold of the nob before twisting it open. She could see an entirely new realm. The night sky was illuminated by aurora lights with stars twinkling beyond that and the ground was composed of soft green grassy turf.

"Whoa..." uttered an awestruck Ember. "I've never seen anything like this before..."

Walking inside the place, she felt a nice breeze tickle her exposed skin and it was refreshing. It was almost as if it wasn't just wind. Like... there was something else to it that made her feel alive, which was strange considering that she was a dead ghost. Taking off from the ground, the pop princess flew up to get a better view of the aurora lights.

"I can't believe it... They're so..."

"Mesmerizing?" asked a stranger from behind.

Hearing the voice, the pop princess turned. Once she saw who it was, she raised a brow and asked, "Who the heck are you?"

At that moment, Clockwork closed the door to the Time Chamber and it vanished.

"I hope she spends her time in there wisely," smirked Clockwork.


	17. One Person's Pain Is Another's Treasure

Switching over to Danny Fenton's house...

"Ugh..." groaned Danny as he sat up clutching his head. "What happened...?"

Looking around the room for a sign or something, Danny's eyes locked onto the alarm clock.

"Great... I only have 45 minutes to get ready for school and I'm exhausted."

Danny proceeded to get up and stand tall only for his ribs to ache in pain.

"Sss...! Owow...! Remind me to never get on Ember's bad side again Shadow."

But to our hero's surprise, Shadow didn't answer.

"Shadow? Are you here?"

He waited, but no response came.

"Guess he left after bringing me back. Oh well, I'll ask him for some more advice when he shows up again. I really need some help straightening out this Ember problem."

Almost an hour later, Danny managed to get to the kitchen after showering, getting dressed, and brushing his teeth.

"Are you alright Danny?" asked Maddie seeming concerned.

The halfa picked up his lunch bag that his mom packed for him.

"Yeah," said Danny. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem like you're in pain."

After rubbing the back of his head, the ghost boy replied, "Oh that. I uh... slipped in the bathroom, but its not that bad. I'm sure my ghost powers will kick in and heal me. Either that or I'll take a pill. Well anyway, I'm running late so bye mom."

After transforming into his ghost half, Danny flew over and kissed her on the cheek before flying off. His parents exchanged looks with each other and shrugged.

Upon arriving at school, Danny found Tucker talking to some girl he didn't recognize. Well not talking. Tucker was more laughing than anything else.

When Danny had landed nearby and transformed back into his human self...

"Hey Tucker," greeted the teen hero. "This a new friend of yours?"

The techno geek looked past the girl and replied, "Hey Danny. And to answer your question, no. It's just Sam."

"Sam?"

The goth girl turned around and showed the frontal display of the cherry blossom sundress she was wearing. Not only that, but she had on matching slide-in shoes.

"Hi Danny..." frowned Sam with a sigh.

"Wow..." gaped Danny. "What happened to you?"

"My mom happened thanks to Shadow."

"Shadow?"

"Don't ask..."

Tucker proceeded to take out his PDA and snapped a pic before saying, "Remind me to thank him."

"Cut it out Tucker!" scowled the goth girl after turning to the techno geek.

"Check out Manson," said a feminine voice from nearby.

The group turned to see Paulina and Star smiling.

"I knew she had it in her," commented Star.

"Now all she has to do is keep it up and boys will find her almost as attractive as us," added Paulina before the duo left.

"Those little...!" fumed Sam.

"Don't let them get to you," said Danny.

"Yeah," agreed Tucker. "They're just jealous like usual because you're in a relationship with Danny."

The halfa rubbed the back of his neck and the goth girl whistled. Tucker looked back and forth between them.

"Wait... you two are still in a relationship right?"

"You see..." started the halfa.

"About that..." began the goth girl.

"No way...! When did that happen?!"

"Uh... Friday," answered the former couple.

"How come?" asked Tucker.

"We just um..." stammered Sam before explaining, "Came to the point where we realized that we're too different from each other."

"Yeah and other than being friends, we really don't have that much in common," supported Danny.

"Sounds reasonable," nodded the techno geek. "So what now? You two gonna date other people?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready to jump back on the dating horse again," answered the goth girl.

"Same here," said the teen hero. "And please don't tell anybody. I'd rather not have a swarm of girls surround me like vultures would a cadaver."

"My lips are sealed," replied Tucker while doing a zipping motion with his fingers in front of his mouth. "But on a positive note, power to half the town has been restored and luckily, that half includes our favorite hangout spot the Nasty Burger. Wanna go there after school today?"

"You don't have to work or anything?" questioned Sam.

"Nope, but I'm on standby in case something comes up."

"I'm in," said Danny.

"Count me in too," smiled the goth.

"Great," said Tucker. "In the meantime, I gotta share these pics with the yearbook committee."

Tucker took off into the school building.

"You better not!" threatened Sam pursuing after him.

Danny couldn't help but smile and shake his head.


	18. Unexpected Visit

Meanwhile, in the Ghost Zone at Clockwork's Tower, the ghost of time was looking into time windows like usual until another visitor entered the area.

"Hello Observants," greeted Clockwork. "To what do I owe the pleasure this time?"

"The time has come," declared Observant 1.

"In order to preserve the future," stated Observant 2. "He has to be dealt with."

The master of time turned to look at them and said, "I agree."

"You cannot allow him to live Clockwork."

"Not this time."

"Tell me something I don't know," responded the purple cloaked time ghost with a sharpened gaze. Turning back around to gaze into the time window once more, the time ghost ended the conversation by saying, "Now if you will excuse me, I have a job to do."

After exchanging looks, the single-eyed Observants departed.

At Ember's realm sometime later, the Ghost Zone's self-proclaimed greatest hunter knocked on her door with a long gift box in hand.

"(Why won't she answer?)" Skulker thought before shouting, "Ember, I have something for you!"

Grabbing hold of the doorknob, the hunter twisted and turned but it wouldn't budge.

"Grr... Very well. I'll just use my key."

After raising his index finger, it opened at the tip and some kind of makeshift skeleton key slid out. Then he slipped the thing into the keyhole before twisting the doorknob and soon the door came open. When it did, Skulker saw that the place was in disarray.

"What happened here?"

Taking a look around the room, he spotted something on the floor.

"What's this?"

Picking up a folded piece of paper off the ground, the hunter eyed it curiously for a few seconds.

"(This isn't from the Ghost Zone...)"

Then he unfolded the paper and read what it said. When he was done, steam blew out of his nose and the hunter clenched his jaw.

Minutes later at Johnny 13's place...

"You want what now?" asked Johnny wiping his hands clean with a rag.

"I need you to open up a portal to the real world," said Skulker.

"Why?"

The hunter pounded his fist against his open palm before explaining, "Because there's a certain half- breed who needs to learn that you don't mess with another ghost's girlfriend."

Turning serious, Johnny 13 hopped onto his bike and said, "Say no more. Let's teach that punk a lesson."

Sometime later, during lunch at Casper High...

"I can't wait for this day to be over with..." sighed an exasperated Sam.

"The outfit is getting to you huh?" asked Tucker.

"More like annoying the crap out of me."

A guy with brown hair who also had a ponytail while wearing a long sleeve red shirt, charcoal colored jeans, and a white scarf around his neck happened to walk by their table. Upon noticing Sam, he stopped in his tracks and called, "Hey."

The group shifted their focus to the standing teen.

"Aren't you Samantha Manson?"

"Uh... yeah?" answered Sam.

"I saw you around a few times, but I never noticed you wearing a dress before."

Raising a brow, the goth girl questioned him with, "What are you, stalking me?"

"No, I just wanted to say that I like your new look is all. Sorry for bothering you."

And so the strange teen left.

"Who the heck was that?" asked Danny watching the guy walk across the cafeteria.

"No idea," shrugged Tucker. "Must be some new guy."

Sam seemed to be lost in thought while watching the strange boy walk away. In the next moment, Danny's ghost sense went off.

"Huh?" uttered the halfa.

Before the teen hero could think about it, an explosion ensued from the wall behind him which caught the entire cafeteria unawares. Turning around after it died down, Danny saw an angry pissed off ghost hunter who looked mean as a bull.

"Skulker!?"

"That's right ghost child!" growled Skulker. "Prepare to meet your undertaker!"

Without waiting for Danny to transform, the hunter fired a beam out of his wrist accessory that hit Danny square in the chest.

"AGH!" cried Danny.

After sliding backwards across the floor, the ghost boy groaned before getting to his feet and transforming.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

Before he could motion to attack, Johnny 13's shadow wrapped its arms around him from behind and proceeded to fly off with him in its clutches.

"WHOOOAAAAAAA!?"

"Danny!?" exclaimed Sam and Tucker.

Outside a minute later, Danny crashed into a tree from above and fell hard to the ground.

"Ugh!" groaned the halfa. After rising to his feet seconds later with leaves stuck in his hair, Danny heard the sound of a motorcycle approaching and the biker ghost stopped.

"How's it goin punk?" asked Johnny with a heated stare.

"Johnny 13?"

In the next moment, Skulker descended and landed next to him.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were teaming up against me."

"Call it what you will prey," said Skulker. "Regardless, you will pay for your transgression."

"Transgression?" repeated the teen hero raising a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"Feigning ignorance are we? Very well. Let's see if this jogs your memory."

The ghostly hunter took out a balled up piece of paper and tossed it to Danny. After catching it, Danny opened it up and recognized who it belonged to before gasping in shock.

"Does it ring a bell now?"

"Where did you get this?!" sweatdropped Danny.

"I found it at my girlfriend's place on the floor. But I believe a better question is why are you hanging out with her!?"

"It's not what you think!" swallowed the halfa.

Johnny 13 and Skulker exchanged 'Does he think we're stupid enough to believe that' kind of looks with each other. Then they focused on the ghost child with deadly gazes.

"Uh-oh..."


	19. Glass Half Full, Glass Half Empty

Minutes later...

Sam and Tucker came running outside onto the school football field.

"Danny!" called the Techno Geek. "Where are you!?"

"Danny!" yelled the goth girl. "Say something!"

"I'll try calling his phone."

Sam nodded.

The techno geek took out his cell and called. Not a second later, they heard a noise coming from the goal post. After turning around, they found Danny upside down out cold wrapped in a spider web like net with several lumps on his head and many bruises lining his face.

"That's not good," remarked Tucker.

"C'mon," ordered Sam. "Let's get him down."

"I'll go find a ladder and some scissors."

When Tucker had returned sometime later and climbed the ladder, he cut the net which resulted in Danny hitting the turf hard.

"Ugh..." groaned the teen hero.

"Tucker!" chided Sam.

"My bad," apologized the mayor before hopping down. As soon as he did, he spotted something. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"He's holding something," pointed Tucker.

Upon further inspection, the goth girl noticed that Danny was holding something too and said, "Looks like a piece of paper."

After managing to remove it from Danny's fingers, Sam and Tucker looked at the writing on it. When they were done, their eyes widened in shock.

"This is... wow!" exclaimed the techno geek.

"Danny hanging out with... Ember?!" gasped the goth girl.

"Did I get hit by a bus?" asked the halfa stirring awake as he sat up. After seeing his two friends, he frowned. "They kicked my butt, didn't they?"

"And pulled a Spiderman finisher to top it all off," added Tucker.

"Nevermind that," dismissed Sam before getting to the point by revealing the piece of paper to Danny. "What's with this note Danny?"

The halfa looked from the paper to his concerned friends before asking, "I'm guessing I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?"

"Yep," responded both friends at once.

After taking in a deep breath and exhaling sharply, Danny explained, "Yesterday, Ember came by my place and we uh... hung out together for a while."

"How did that happen?" asked Tucker.

"Yeah Danny," agreed Sam. "She's an enemy. AKA one of those people you shouldn't hang around."

"I know that Sam, but its not like I planned for it to happen," said the teen hero. "She just showed up out of nowhere and said that she needed a vacation away from the Ghost Zone."

"So how come you didn't just kick her out via Fenton Thermos?" asked the mayor.

"The thought crossed my mind, but she promised to be on her best behavior if I let her stay. So I decided to give her a chance."

"Are you serious Danny? Her word?" facepalmed the goth girl. "You do realize that she kidnapped me and your parents the day before right?"

"Yeah and I even told her that to her face. Heck, it was one of the reasons why I wanted her out of my house. But..."

"But what?" asked Tucker.

"I don't know... it just seemed like the right idea at the time to give her a chance."

"Give her a chance?!" repeated an astonished Sam. "Do you even hear yourself!? HELLO! We're talking about Ember Mclain! The evil ghost who tried to take over the world and the enemy who tried to hurt you on multiple occasions! Giving her a chance shouldn't even be an option!"

The ghost boy gave his ex a serious stare.

"That's where you're wrong Sam," argued the halfa, standing by his decision. "She does deserve a chance."

"Say what now?" blinked Tucker.

"Excuse me?" responded Sam taken aback.

"I said Ember deserves a chance and I'm not sorry I gave her one," reaffirmed Danny.

"You should be! After all, how do you know she's not the one who sent Skulker and Johnny 13 after you!?"

"She wouldn't do that!"

"Really?" asked the goth girl folding her arms and raising a brow. "So she has absolutely nothing to do with it?"

The halfa looked down to the side. He couldn't say no because Sam was right. Skulker and Johnny beat him up because of the note.

"I... well..." stammered Danny.

Sam's face softened at seeing the conflicting face of her friend and she placed a hand on his shoulder before saying, "Admit it Danny. That girl is bad news. Trouble follows her around like flies on manure. All I'm trying to do is look out for you and make sure you don't wind up hurt."

After sighing, the teen hero muttered, "But I'm the one who hurt her..."

"Huh?"

Without elaborating, Danny turned and flew off.

"He hurt her?" repeated Tucker confused. "What did he mean by that?"

"I wish I knew," said Sam.

Several minutes later in the Ghost Zone, Johnny 13 and Skulker each raised a glass.

"Here's to teaching that whelp a lesson," smirked Skulker.

"I'll drink to that," stated Johnny.

After clinking glasses, the two swallowed their drinks in one gulp. Right after, they let out a satisfied exhale.

"You know, I'm kinda surprised you didn't try to skin him and rest his pelt at the foot of your mantelpiece or whatever you usually call it."

Johnny poured some alcohol from the bottle he was holding into each of their glasses.

"The thought did come to mind," admitted the hunter. "But the lowlife wasn't worth the effort today. Payback was good enough for me."

"I feel the same way about Kitty," said the unlucky numbered ghost. "If some other guy tried to make a move on her, I'd stomp some sense into him too."

In the next moment, there was a loud rumble and everyone in the bar was caught unawares. But it died down quick.

"Was that an earthquake?"

"Probably a small scale ectostorm," guessed Skulker.

The two were about to take a sip of their drinks, but Johnny's cell rang. He answered after seeing Kitty's name.

"Yeah babe?" asked the biker. "Really? I'm on my way."

Swallowing his beverage fast, Johnny 13 quickly stood up.

"What's wrong?" questioned the hunter.

"Something crazy is going down at Clockdude's place," explained the unlucky numbered ghost. "You should come check it out too."

The hunter swallowed his drink and the two left the establishment. Arriving outside of Clockwork's tower minutes later, Johnny 13 and Skulker found Kitty, Spectra and many other ghosts looking up at the pillar of green ecto energy shooting up into the sky out of the structure.

"What's going on Kitten?" asked Johnny.

Kitty turned and answered, "I don't know Johnny. I called you because it seemed like something bad is about to happen."

"I haven't felt anything this ominous since Pariah Dark was set free," commented Skulker.

All of sudden, the observing ghosts heard a spine-chilling laugh escape from the tower.

"Hehehe!"

"W-what was that!?" fidgeted the biker babe before Johnny pulled her in close with an arm.

"I don't know..." swallowed Johnny sweatdropping. "But I have a feeling we're going to find out soon."

* * *

AN: Thank you for following, commenting, reviewing, and taking the time to read this story. As a reward, I will let you guys in on a little secret. I already finished writing this story. Right now, all I have to do is edit and convert files. Maybe if I get a little more comments/reviews and stuff, maybe I will share another secret? Or perhaps two?


	20. Free At Last

Inside Clockwork's tower, the ghost of time stared calmly at the muscular figure who stood in the darkness that loomed in the background. Whoever it was had piercing red eyes that could intimidate anyone.

"So you've finally managed to free yourself," stated Clockwork.

"Indeed I have," answered the other person in the area.

"I suppose you haven't decided to turn over a new leaf while you were in timeout?"

The red-eyed individual's body radiated green energy before it's owner answered the ghost of time with, "Not a chance."

In the next moment, Clockwork's entire tower crumbled and it exploded with a monstrous green flash.

"AGH!" exclaimed the group of ghosts that were outside as they turned away from the brilliant display. Once the incredible flash had died out, they were left stunned when they saw that Clockwork's tower was no more.

"What in the...?!" gasped Spectra. "What happened to the tower?!"

"I happened," answered the hissing voice from above.

Looking up, the ghost community saw smoke gradually uncover the sinister red-eyed ghost from foot to head. Upon seeing the D.P symbol plastered on his chest, Kitty asked, "That logo... Doesn't Phantom have the same thing on his chest?"

"Yeah..." nodded Johnny. "He does."

"(This is going to be fun.)" thought the red-eyed ghost grinning as he scanned the crowd.

Sometime later, after school was over, Danny, Sam, and Tucker were at Nasty Burger sitting in a booth. They were all quiet eating their food silently. Although, Danny out of the three of them seemed to be struggling with an issue that tore at his heart. So much so that he barely ate a french fry every so often.

Tired of the dreary setting that the three were in, Tucker decided to break the silence with, "This has gone on long enough. I think we should clear the air."

"Not now Tucker..." moped Sam.

"Sorry Sam, but I don't have time to wait around for this issue to resolve itself. Especially since I have mayoral duties and all that once this free day is over with."

Then the techno geek looked to Danny.

"This Ember thing. You said that she deserved a chance. Why?"

After letting out a sigh, Danny explained, "I heard something from Clockwork about Ember. He told me her story. From what she was like when she was alive to how she died."

"Huh?" blinked Sam. "When did he...?"

"The day we broke up."

"Oh..."

"So what was she like?" asked Tucker.

"From what I heard she was a smart, talented, nice girl named Amber," answered the halfa. "She was so kind in fact that Clockwork stated that she wouldn't even hurt a bug."

"That sounds totally different from the ghost we know," remarked the goth of the group.

"If you think that's crazy, wait until you hear how she died. Apparently, before her career in music ever got started, there was an accident with stage equipment which set her on fire."

Sam and Tucker's jaws dropped to the floor.

"It just... made me rethink my whole outlook on ghosts. I thought that maybe if I gave her chance then she could..."

"Change back to Amber," finished Sam.

The teen hero nodded.

"But it didn't pan out as you expected," said Tucker.

"Thanks to me," frowned Danny. "I ruined it by hurting her."

"Which is why you wrote the note..." said the goth girl piecing the mystery together finally.

"Yeah..." answered the ghost boy letting out heavy sigh.

"So what do you plan on doing now?" asked the goth now feeling bad about what she said earlier on the football field. "About Ember I mean."

"I don't know to be honest. After writing the note and trying to apologize like Shadow suggested, I was hoping he could tell me what to do next."

"Wait... Shadow told you to write that note?" asked Tucker a little offended. "How come you two listen to him but not me?"

"He has some good points," shrugged Sam.

"Besides that, he really has helped me a lot lately," added Danny. "So why not trust him?"

"I can't think of a reason at the moment," admitted the mayor. "But still, it's kinda strange we know little to nothing about him. Especially what he looks like or why we can't see him."

"Its because he doesn't want us to see him. At least not yet anyway."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he told me so. Maybe next time I talk to him he'll give me an an..."

Before Danny could finish the word, his ghost sense went off.

"Huh?"

"A ghost again?" said Sam.

"That's like the second time today," stated Tucker.

Danny looked out the window after hearing a motorcycle. Then he saw someone riding by.

"Ugh..." the halfa groaned recognizing the bike before standing up to transform into his spooky self. "Going ghost!"

"Be careful Danny," warned the goth girl. "It could be an ambush like last time."

"Gotcha."

He turned intangible and flew off outside. Seconds later, he caught up to Johnny's bike riding fast down the road.

"(This guy just doesn't know when to let up. Wasn't kicking my butt enough?)" thought Danny as he flew down to position himself next to the rider wearing a helmet. Then he asked, "Two times in one day? Don't you have something better to do?"

The rider looked to him and yelled, "AAH! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Huh? You're not John... AGH!"

The halfa was sent flying by a fist from Johnny's shadow who came from the bike. After flipping backwards a few times, Danny finally regained control of himself. Right after, Johnny's ghost growled at the halfa and gave off the appearance that it was ready for any action he might do.

"Oh great... You again. Look I'm just gonna cut to the chase and tell you and your friend to scram back to the Ghost Zone before I get angry."

The shadow refused to back down and Danny took it as sign that it wanted to fight.

"Ok. You asked for it dork of darkness."

Danny's fists glowed a menacing green and the shadow backed away a few feet shaking. The teen hero noticed it and his serious demeanor switched to one of confusion.

"What the...?"

"HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH ALREADY?!" shouted a feminine voice.

Danny looked down and saw the rider from before removing their helmet. It turned out to be Kitty and she was frowning.

"Kitty? What are you doing with Johnny's bike?" asked Danny.

The halfa was about to make his way down but the shadow cut in his path growling even louder than before though it was still shaking like a leaf.

"Stand down shadow," ordered the biker babe. "I can't let you bite the bullet for me. Even if Johnny told you to."

The shadow refused to budge and shook its head.

"Sometimes you can be really stubborn."

Left with no other option, the biker babe flew up into the sky and stopped across from Danny.

"No use in hiding now that you saw me. Well... if I'm gonna go down, I'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

She readied herself so the two of them could fight, but Danny yelled, "Wait a minute!"

The spooky shadow and Kitty were taken aback but stopped their actions.

"Good. Now what do you mean by you're gonna go down?"

"Don't play dumb," scowled Kitty. "I know you want to destroy me."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Because you want payback against all your enemies."

"No, I don't," responded the halfa before thinking, "(At least not today.)"

"You can't lie to me. I know you sent that friend of yours after us."

Raising a brow, Danny asked, "What friend?"

"Still playing stupid huh? Well, I'll play along. The friend with the flaming white hair. You know, the one with the muscles, the cape, and the same logo on his chest like yours."

"I don't have a friend like..." started the teen hero before a gear turned in his brain. "No... it can't be..."

Spacing out like he saw a ghost for the first time, Danny felt his blood run cold and the green glow that surrounded his fists died out.

Kitty noticed his behavior and asked, "Um... hello? Are you ok over there?"

"He's out... no he can't... but Clockwork said that..." muttered the halfa ignoring her question while trying to process the info he just heard among other things.

"You mean that infamous ghost who lives in that creepy clocktower?" responded the biker babe overhearing Clockwork's name.

Danny snapped out of his trance when she said clocktower and answered, "Yeah."

"Well his place exploded with a bang thanks to that other guy."

"WHAT!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"

"Yeah. I saw it happen with my own eyes. But why are you surprised? You're the one who..."

Danny flew over to her fast before grabbing her jacket to pull her close to his face.

"And Clockwork?!" he demanded. "Was he there after the explosion?!"

"Wait... you really didn't send that guy after us, did you?" asked Kitty.

"I would never do something like that! Now answer my question! DID YOU SEE CLOCKWORK AFTER THE EXPLOSION!?"

Startled by the high tone of his voice, the biker babe answered, "Um... no. Just that other guy..."

Swallowing hard, Danny let her go and turned around. Before taking off, he said, "I assume you remember what happened when the ghost king was on the loose."

"I do."

"Well... this guy is worse. He could level both the Ghost Zone and the whole Earth by himself."

Eyes widening, Kitty had become afraid.

"B-but... you can beat him right?" asked Kitty. "L-like how you did against all the other ghosts?"

The halfa looked over his shoulder and his face painted a clear response for her.

"Oh..."

Then Danny faced forward before flying away. After returning to the Nasty Burger to meet his friends, they were surprised when he lifted them up without warning and flew off.

"What's wrong Danny?" asked Sam.

"Yeah. Why did you scoop us up like that?" questioned Tucker.

"He escaped," answered Danny.

"Who escaped?"

"Him. Dan Phantom."

The goth girl and techno gasped in shock.

"I just found out from Kitty," added the halfa. "She said that she saw Clockwork's place explode and he was there."

"Are you sure?" asked the goth girl.

"Could she be wrong about..." started the mayor.

"She described him in full detail and I'm sure she has never met him before today," cut in the teen hero.

Sam and Tucker gulped.

"If this is true then I'm gonna have to call the office," said the techno geek taking out his phone.

* * *

AN: Don't be surprised if things look a little different after reading a chapter later on. I'm constantly making corrections and stuff.

Also SleepingBeautyRocks I read what you said but have you read what I said about the story being finished? If I just change things from what is planned then I would have to rewrite, edit, convert, post, edit again, waste time rereading, and push back chapters I plan on posting 3-4 days from now. It's not like I don't want Dan to come as fast as possible because he's half the reason I love writing this. So please understand and I promise you will not be disappointed.


	21. The Hunter Games

Sometime later in the Ghost Zone...

"Giddyap little ghosties!" laughed Dan as he used his ecto energy to wrap around a group of ghosts like he was a cowboy before swinging the bunch around in a circle.

His capture cried out while under his ecto lasso of sorts. Skulker, Johnny 13, and those who weren't caught in the ecto-rope moved out of the way to evade the fast rotating swing.

"HAA!" bellowed the sadistic ghost from the future as he let go of the ecto rope.

Those poor ghosts screamed at the top of their voice after being launched at an insane speed into the depths of the Ghost Zone. Seeing that feat made the remaining ghosts flee in every random direction.

"Running away?" chuckled the deranged Dan while watching them flee. "It doesn't matter. I'll catch them all eventually and when I do..."

With little to no effort, Dan Phantom split into 4 copies of himself.

"They'll get a taste of what their future counterparts experienced."

And then the 4 headed in different directions.

A minute later...

Spectra was flying fast when a series of ghost rays happened to zoom by her. One made contact with one of the ghosts who was fleeing with her and it cried out before falling away.

Looking back, she saw Dan Phantom pursuing from behind.

"Ugh!" groaned Spectra. "Why did he have to chase us?!"

"Hahaha!" laughed Dan 1.

Meanwhile at Johnny 13's location, him and several other ghosts flew into the Fright Knight's lair to hide. Unfortunately, the Fright Knight himself happened to be there.

"Fools!" boomed the spirit of Halloween. "Who would dare trespass upon my domain!?"

Swinging his soul shredder, the ghost managed to cleave a ghost with it and instantly, the ghoul vanished.

"Oh boy..." gulped Johnny sweatdropping.

"Your number is up," stated Dan 2.

Turning around, the ghost biker and the other ghosts saw Dan Phantom standing there looking like a lion ready to pounce. The Fright Knight noticed the newfound fear resonating off the intruders.

"That terror is not my doing," muttered the Fright Knight as he shifted his focus to Dan and saying loud, "You there. I sense wickedness and might resonating from depths of your soul that could match the great king."

With his eyes still locked on the prey before him, Dan Phantom responded, "Well well. You're quite as perceptive as ever. How's about you join me and together we'll make the realms quiver with fear?"

"I am at your command my liege!" accepted the knight placing a fist over his heart and bowing slightly.

At Skulker's location, Dan Phantom number 3 had managed to catch up with him and the two were battling.

"Take this!" shouted Skulker using every last weapon at his disposal to fire rockets, ecto beams, and arrows at the adversary before him.

"Please," laughed Dan 3. "You'll have to do better than that blob for brains."

Swiping his hand in front of him, the red-eyed ghost from the future unleashed an arch of energy which obliterated Skulker's onslaught in one fell swoop. Skulker gasped in shock right before he was sent flying by a glowing fist from Dan Phantom.

"Agh!" cried the hunter.

The evil ghost from the future pursued while chuckling in delight.

Arriving at Princess Dora's Kingdom, a group of ghosts took shelter within the confines of the castle. Two flew over to Princess Dorathea and she stood up quickly from the throne.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" asked Dora.

"Please help us!" begged one ghost.

"There's a...!" started explaining the other, but an explosion cut it short which captured everyone's attention.

From the other side of the room, Dan Phantom emerged from the smoke hovering inside.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance princess," greeted Dan 4.

The ghosts before Dorathea fled and something inside the princess told her that something was off with her latest uninvited guest.

"(I don't like the feeling of this one...)" thought the princess.

Back in the human world, Danny made his way to the Fenton Portal with his friends and parents right behind him.

"Are you sure you want to do this cupcake?" asked Maddie.

Walking over to the ghost portal, Danny mashed the open button and the swirling green vortex revealed itself.

"I have to see if Clockwork is still around," responded the halfa. "He's the only one who will know how to stop him."

"In the meantime, we'll do our best by completing our latest project," said Jack. "Right honey?"

"Right Jack."

"Good luck Danny," said Tucker.

"And be careful," added Sam.

The halfa nodded and jumped into the portal. Inside the Ghost Zone, Danny noticed right away that everything was quiet. Perhaps too quiet for this dimension in fact. Usually there would be a ghost here or there. Even an 'ooh' or 'aaah' from ghosts was a given background noise typically. But not today thanks to a certain evil specter from the future.

"Ok... this is kinda creepy," remarked Danny. "Even for the Ghost Zone."

Meanwhile at Princess Dora's kingdom...

"RAARW!" roared a giant blue dragon with a gold amulet around its neck as it exuded flames in Dan 4's direction. However, it was unable to scorch its target as the evil ghost from the future evaded the attack with a grin plastered on his face.

"Princess Dorathea," started Dan 4 before saying, "I know you're used to living in the dark ages but I come from the future with a message."

Dan 4's body flared with burning ecto-based fire before he changed course and flew through the dragon's roaring flames. Then he circled the dragon and a burning whirlwind scorched the dragon in the eye of it. Seconds later, the dragon collapsed to the floor with sizzling heat issuing from it's body. Landing next to the dragon's neck, Dan Phantom removed the gold accessory from around it which resulted in the beast reverting back to a badly injured unconscious Princess Dorathea.

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of my kitchen."

Then he tossed the amulet away and walked off to find some other ghost to 'play' with.

At Skulker's location, the ghost hunter had become the ghost prey. He had an arm ripped clean off while running through the jungle of his realm for a place to hide. He eventually ducked behind a tree and seconds after, Dan Phantom came walking close by.

"Run run run wherever you can," grinned Dan 3. "Because hiding wont save you from the big bad Dan. Hehehe."

The duplicate fired ghost ray after ghost ray, which ended up blasting down several trees and putting holes through many.

"(Laugh while you can.)" thought Skulker with his face contorted in anger. "(Because I'll be the one who will be laughing last.)"

Dan 3 stepped on a patch of leaves and he experienced a painful shock jolt through his body.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" exclaimed Dan.

Skulker stepped from behind the tree he was hiding behind with a wide grin. As he approached his target, a blade extended out of his gauntlet.

"You thought you were hunting me, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter?" said Skulker. "Think again!"

Raising the sharp weapon, Skulker proceeded to slash at the electricity ridden ghost. Before his blade could cut through the target, Dan Phantom caught the blade with a hand and Skulker felt electricity flow through him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"I don't need to hunt someone who's gullible enough to fall for feigned exclamations of pain," stated Dan 3 as his fist glowed green before punching a hole into his prey's midsection.

The little green ghost inside the armor freaked out as his suit started to malfunction.

"No no no no no... NOOOOOOOOO!"

"Boom," smirked Dan before an overwhelming amount of ecto energy exploded outward from his buried fist which resulted in Skulker's armor rupturing from the inside.

At Spectra's location, Dan 1 was hot on her tail. All the other ghosts that were fleeing with the misery glutton were picked off until it was only her.

"Curses!" swore Spectra. "I can't outrun him forever!"

Feeling her energy running low, the red head was doing her best not to slow down. Unbeknownst to her, Dan wanted it this way.

"(Foolish Spectra.)" thought Dan 1. "(I'm simply allowing the dread of your situation to creep in. Just like what I did to the you from my time period right before I snuffed her out for good.)"

And just as he had imagined it, Spectra slowed so much to the point where Dan Phantom thought it pointless to keep up the charade. Then at last, he reached out and caught the misery glutton by the ankle before sending a ghost stinging charge through her body.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!" cried Spectra.

"Hehehe!"

This continued for almost a full minute until the Duplicate felt a blast strike his back.

"Ergh!"

His grip on Spectra faltered and she groaned while falling down before crashing to the depths below. Dan 1 turned to see who was responsible for interrupting his torture session. Little did he know, it was more than one ghost. It was a group of at least 30 ghosts.

"Well if it it isn't Walker Texas Warden," stated Dan 1. "Should have assumed you would show up eventually."

"Of course I would punk," said Walker. "You're violating the rules."

Dan 1 cracked his neck twice with a wicked grin and responded, "Sorry, you'll have to refresh my memory. Which ones did I break?"

The warden answered while pointing to each of his fingers one at a time, "1, Disturbing the peace. 2, Pissing me off. 3, Unauthorized destruction of another ghost's home without a permit. 4, Trespassing. 5, Pissing me off."

"You said that already."

The white suited warden narrowed his eyes before replying, "That's because I'm VERY pissed off. Get him!"

Walker's goons stormed towards the evil ghost from the future and Dan Phantom tucked his elbows in with clenched fists.

"Bring it on," invited Dan 1.

Spectra shook her head clear and looked up to see the action unfolding.

"Now that they're keeping him busy, I can get out of here," the red head muttered to herself before flying away quietly. Dan managed to send a goon flying into three others with a strong punch as that occurred.

At Pariah's Keep, Dan Phantom held up the defeated, unconscious, and badly bruised biker ghost known as Johnny 13 by the front of his shirt with a hand.

"Pathetic. Even at a quarter of my strength, you're not even remotely a challenge." hissed Dan 2. Then he looked to the Fright Knight, who stood there waiting for his new master finish. "Hm... (I did plan on crippling him like the one from my time, but I suppose diverting from the plan in this instance would be more amusing.) Send this weakling to meet his worst nightmare."

"It shall be done," replied the Fright Knight drawing his blade.

After tossing the unlucky numbered ghost towards the Fright Knight, the spirit of Halloween raised his sword and cleaved the biker to another reality.

At the same time in the human world, Kitty and Johnny's shadow were hiding out in an abandoned building when the shadow screeched really loud before vanishing out of sight.

"What?!" exclaimed Kitty in shock. "No... JOHNNY!"


	22. Right Place, Wrong Time

Back in the Ghost Zone, Danny had finally arrived to where Clockwork's place used to be.

"Oh my god..." gasped Danny with widened eyes. "His place was destroyed..."

All the halfa could see was partial gear fragments, mangled clock faces, and many metal pieces of the tower floating about. He already had a feeling that it was this bad, but seeing it with his own eyes was another story in itself.

"Clockwork! CLOCKWORK!"

Danny flew around the ruins but couldn't find a trace of the ghost of time. Not even a shred or a piece of evidence that Clockwork ever existed. No purple cloak, no time staff, no nothing.

"I can't believe it... He really is gone..."

The halfa floated there thinking about the time ghost. Namely, all the encounters he had with him.

"Clockwork's gone..."

Danny had a solemn look on his face for a while until something brushed against his leg. Shifting his gaze downward, the halfa saw part of an object he recognized immediately.

"(That's part of a Fenton Thermos. Looks like he did escape after all.)"

Sighing, Danny was about to head back home until a door manifested in front of him.

"What in the..."

After it opened. Ember McLain stepped out of the time chamber with a serious look on her face. Not only that, but her hair was longer than before and it was hanging down to the back of her ankle. She also had a few strands dangling in front of her face as well.

Upon seeing Danny, she commented, "Well what do you know. It's dipstick."

"Ember?" uttered the halfa confused. "What are you doing here? And where did you...?"

Danny was about to peak inside the door she came out of, but it vanished from sight before he could.

"You saved me the trouble of finding you," said the pop princess reaching over her shoulder and pulling out her guitar.

"Hold on!" sweatdropped the teen hero. "I don't want to fight you!"

"That's too bad because I want to fight you."

After strumming her cords, a powerful wave struck the halfa knocking him far away.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Danny.

It took a while for Danny to regain control of himself before shaking his head.

"Oh man... is it me or did she get more powerful?"

"Got that right babypop," answered the flame haired ghost.

The ghost boy looked over his shoulder slowly to see the ghostly diva hovering there with guitar at the ready and thought, "(How did she get behind me so fast!?)"

"Let's see you handle this."

When she was done adjusting the setting on her instrument, Ember unleashed a devastating lightning bolt which electrocuted the halfa severely.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" cried Danny.

About a minute after, the attack died out leaving the teen hero smoking and burnt to a crisp.

"Ugh..."

"What are you waiting for?" asked Ember. "Aren't you gonna fight back?"

"Ember listen... I can't fight you right now... There's..."

While rolling her eyes, the pop princess cut him off with, "Excuses, excuses."

She sent out another lightning bolt but Danny was ready and dodged in the nick of time.

"Whoa!" uttered Danny before thinking, "(I gotta get out of here!)"

Turning, the halfa proceeded to fly away.

"Oh no you don't," said Ember before giving chase.

Looking back, Danny could see that she was on his tail.

"Turn around and face me!"

Extending a hand out, Ember fired several ghost rays. Danny dodged quick but kept moving ahead.

"What did I do to deserve this!?" questioned the halfa to himself. "Oh right... I hit her with a ghost ray..."

"Hey Danny," greeted Shadow.

Blinking in surprise, Danny replied, "Shadow? Is that you?"

"In the flesh. Well, sort of but whatever."

"Where were you!?"

"I had something to take care of but now I'm back. So how goes things?"

"Do you not see Ember chasing me?!"

"I do. But isn't that a good thing?"

"Not when she's attacking me! Ouch!"

The halfa had felt a ghost ray strike him in the rear.

"Good point," remarked Shadow. "So you have a flaming hot ghost who wants to beat the crud of you and you want to stop her from doing so?"

"Yes!" answered the teen hero.

"Then why not fight back?"

"I don't have time to deal with her. Dan is out here somewhere and I have to prepare!"

"Oh... did you tell her that?"

"I tried talking to her but she won't listen to me! Ack!"

Being struck again, Danny groaned in discomfort.

"Need some advice again?" asked Shadow.

"Any suggestions would be nice!" said Danny.

"If she doesn't want to hear you talk then maybe you should sing to her instead?"

"What?!"

"She's a musician and musicians like to sing."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Unless you have a better idea..."

"Ok fine! But what am I supposed to sing that will get her attention?"

"Remember the note you wrote? Sing those lyrics to her."

"That wont work because she rejected it!"

"Actually, no she didn't. You dropped it at her place when she was kicking your butt and it was on the floor until Skulker discovered it."

"Huh? So she wasn't responsible for Johnny 13 and Skulker ganging up on me?"

"Does she seem like the type to send someone to fight battles for her?"

"Oh..."

"Nevermind, I forgot who I was talking to..."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Just focus on the task at hand and sing."

Sighing, Danny pulled out the note from his pocket and looked back before thinking, "(Well... here goes.)"

Stopping, the halfa turned to face Ember who didn't expect him to stop so suddenly.

"Holy...!" she exclaimed almost crashing into him, but avoided doing so by stopping just in time.

"Whoa!" gasped Danny jumping back a bit.

"Finally worked up the courage to throw down?" asked the pop princess about 5 feet away from him.

"Something like that," answered the halfa unfolding the piece of paper in his hand before clearing his throat.

"What are you..." started the flame haired ghost seeing the sheet while raising a brow.

"Forgive me. I'm such a dumb guy. I'm sorry. I don't want to fight. I stung you... like a spike. I'm clueless... Let me make this right."

"That sounds like..." blinked Ember in confusion as she witnessed Danny singing.

"What can I do? Show me the light. Tell me please. Shout it to the sky. Danny Phantom. I was wrong. Sorry. Please accept my song. I'm foolish... and a dipstick. I'm stupid... my skull's too thick. I'm tortured... it makes me sick. I'm the jerk... to a cool chick."

When Danny was done, he waited to see what she would do.

"My song," uttered the stunned pop princess before shaking her head clear. After noticing Danny was staring at her she stated, "You think because you wrote some apology in the same rhyme scheme as my song that I would automatically forgive you? Dream on."

Danny swallowed and Shadow whispered in his ear to help him out. Then the halfa repeated, "I um... had a feeling you wouldn't forgive me. Even while I stayed up through the night writing this, something told me that this was a mess I couldn't clean up. And if that wasn't an indication, the butt- kicking I got from you this morning was."

"(Through the night?)"

And that's when Ember remembered Danny's tired face upon her opening the door to her lair that morning. She was too filled with anger to see it clearly before, but now she could see that the heavy bags under his eyes were still there.

"But still," continued the teen hero. "I wanted you to know that I was wrong for what I did and I will never forgive myself. Enemies or not, this will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Shadow finished whispering into Danny's ear at that moment. Clenching her fists tight, the pop princess growled and it made the halfa wince.

"Give it," she ordered.

"Huh?" blinked the halfa opening his eyes.

"The paper. Give it to me," explained Ember extending a hand out.

Confused but not wanting to anger her any more, he handed the note to the pop princess. She looked the handwriting up and down while Danny waited for her to respond.

When Ember was done, she commented, "I see you left out the part about us hanging out."

"It was um..." stammered Danny scratching the side of his head. "Wishful thinking at the time I wrote it but now I know better."

Raising a brow, Ember asked, "What are you trying to say? You regret hanging out with me and wouldn't ever do it again?"

Shaking his head frantically, Danny answered quick, "No! That's not what I...!"

"Calm down babypop," giggled the pop princess now smiling. "I'm just yanking your chain."

Sighing, Danny was relieved that she had lightened up. Then he worked up the nerve to ask her, "So you... forgive me?"

"No," said Ember as her smile vanished.

"Oh..." uttered the half with his hopes dashed to pieces.

"But I'm willing to give you a chance to earn it by fighting me."

"Gladly," smiled Danny before asking, "Although, can it wait til later?"

Ember's hair had begun to flare as a scowl formed on her face.

"I'm sorry, but there's a reason why I can't right now!" explained the teen hero right away.

"What reason?" asked the pop princess folding her arms.

"You remember the evil me from the future that we talked about?"

"Yeah."

"He escaped."

"Seriously?"

"I'm surprised you didn't notice Clockwork's tower blown to bits. From what I heard from Kitty, she said that he was the one who did it."

"No way," said Ember dropping her arms.

"That's not the worst part. Apparently, after it happened, Clockwork was nowhere in sight. But Dan was there."

"You mean he...?"

She couldn't complete her question but Danny knew where it was leading.

"When I came to check it out there was no trace of him," informed the ghost boy. "And that's when you appeared out of that door."

He wanted to ask her about the door, but it wasn't the best time so he shelved his curiosity.

"That's not good," remarked the flame haired ghost.

"You're welcome to come with me to the human world until we come up with a way to stop him," invited Danny.

The ghostly pop princess thought about it and smirked before saying, "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll stick around."

"Are you sure?"

"Is my name Ember Mclain?"

And in the next moment, the ghostly pop princess vanished in a swirl of blue flames.

"I hope she doesn't do anything crazy."

The halfa turned and flew off back to the Fenton Portal.


	23. Reader's Choice

Appearing in her realm moments later, Ember looked around.

"It feels like I've been gone from this place for a lifetime," she remarked.

Moving towards the back, she remembered how the place was trashed because of how she beat up Danny and smiled.

"Good times."

And then she accidently kicked a long purple box on the floor which broke her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? I don't remember that being there."

Upon further inspection, she noticed it had a blue bow and a tag after lifting it up. Then she read the tag.

"'A deal is a deal. This is payment for including me in your plan. From Skulker.'"

After removing the lid, Ember saw that is was the coat the hunter promised her.

"He must have dropped it off while I was gone."

Taking it out, the ghostly pop princess proceeded to slide into the lengthy red jacket. Then she walked into her room with the full length mirror to see how she looked. After posing a few times in front of the reflection, she commented with a smile, "I knew I would look good in this."

Meanwhile at Fenton Works, Danny had just arrived back in the lab.

"So?" uttered Tucker.

"Did you find Clockwork?" asked Sam.

"Its just like Kitty said," answered the halfa closing his while shaking his head. "No Clockwork and his tower was left in rubble."

His friends looked down at their feet with a frown.

"Hey kids," called Jack. "Check this out."

The trio walk overed to the table where Maddie and Jack were working.

"Is that..." started Danny.

"Its the state of the art Ecto Boosters," explained Jack.

On the flat table was body armor(which also protected the shoulders), a pair of thick metal wrist bracelets and a set of ankle bracelets.

"What do these do?" asked Tucker.

"I'm glad you asked," smiled Jack proudly. "These babies are designed to boost Danny's ghost powers."

"Neat."

"So, what will happen if someone else tries to wear them?" asked Sam.

"Nothing," answered Maddie this time. "The outfit was made to matchup with Danny's specific ecto- energy. But there's a catch however."

"Please don't tell me those will drain me like the ecto-skeleton," begged the halfa.

"No, your father and I learned from that mistake. Which is why we created this instead of another ecto-skeleton. Here, put them on and give them a try."

The halfa grabbed the equipment and put them on one at time. When that was done, he declared, "I'm going ghost!"

A ring sparked around his body from his waist before splitting into two which flowed up and down changing Danny Fenton into Danny Phantom.

When it was complete, Sam commented, "He doesn't look any different than he usually does while in ghost mode."

"Do you feel any stronger Danny?" asked the techno geek.

The halfa looked down at his hands and gathered ecto energy into his palm for a few seconds. Then he answered, "Not really."

The Fenton matriarch thought quietly for a few seconds before saying, "Maybe we were off on our calculations...? All right Danny. Change back so we can inspect the equipment."

Danny nodded and reverted back to his human self. But to their surprise, he didn't have the gear on.

"What the heck?" blinked Sam.

"What happened to the Ecto Boosters?" questioned the mayor.

"That's what I want to know," agreed the teen hero.

Scratching the side of her head, Maddie replied, "I can't say for certain but if I had to guess... the Ecto Boosters probably melded with your DNA when you morphed."

Shocked by the hypothesis, Danny pleaded, "Please tell me there isn't going to be any strange side effects...!"

"Not while you're in human form, but I can't guarantee it won't affect your ghost half."

"I guess that's better than the other way around."

Back in the Ghost Zone, the four Dans had Walker surrounded. With the Warden's army defeated and out of commission, the sadistic ghost from the future chuckled from all sides as they said, "Hehehe. Look at you. The big bad Walker is all alone. Any last words?"

"Grr..." growled Walker. "You might have me beat for now but I will... AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Before he could finish his oath, the four Dans simultaneously fired off ghost rays from different angles toasting Walker. When they were done, the warden fell to the depths of the Ghost Zone disappearing from sight.

"Shall I rid the Ghost Zone of him permanently my liege?" asked the Fright Knight.

"No," answered Dan after the four merged into one. "Its best that we don't weed out the big fish."

Thinking back to the time period where he came from, Dan remembered how boring it was after he had eliminated almost every powerful ghost in existence. Sure there was SkulkTech, the Box Ghost surprisingly, and a few others who gave him somewhat of a decent challenge, but in the end, the itch of satisfaction was barely scratched and he was left wanting more.

"Tell me something. Besides us, are there any other ghosts capable of swimming in the vile end of the ecto pool? Not including your former master that is."

"Hm..." mused the spirit of Halloween.

Sometime later, in front of the door to Ember's lair, someone wearing a brown cloak looked from left to right before knocking.

When the ghostly pop princess opened the door, she asked, "Who are you?"

"Its me," answered the person after glancing back over their shoulder for a quick second before pulling their hood back. It turned out to be Spectra. "Can I come in?"

Stepping to the side, Ember allowed entry for her, and the red head quickly made her way inside.

"What's with the robe?" asked Ember turning to her guest.

"Close the door!" ordered Spectra.

"Ok..."

Doing as requested, Ember shut the door.

"Back to my question. Why are you dressed like that?"

"I'm trying to keep a low profile," explained the red head before eyeing Ember up and down. "Nice jacket. It suits you."

"Thanks. So why are you trying to keep a low profile?"

"Because some rotten ghost attacked me earlier and I don't want to draw his attention again."

Shaking like a leaf, Spectra remembered what it was like to be in Dan's clutches.

"Definitely wouldn't want to cross paths with him again..."

"Who was it?" asked Ember.

"Probably some hired muscle Phantom sent after us."

"What makes you think he did that?"

"The guy had the same outfit color and branding across his chest as Phantom."

"I don't know," frowned the flame haired ghost. "Dipstick doesn't seem like the type of person to do that."

"Excuse me?" responded Spectra taken aback. "Since when did you start defending Phantom?"

"Who says I'm defending him?" asked Ember folding her arms. "I'm just saying that goody-goody heroes like him usually fight their own battles. Besides, why would he get rid of his friend, Clockhead?"

"Wait, he was friends with that infamous ghost?" blinked the red head.

"Yeah."

"How do you know that?"

"You're not the only one who notices what goes down in the Ghost Zone," answered the pop princess with a proud smirk.

In the next moment, there was a knock on Ember's door which interrupted their conversation.

"Hey Em?" called a feminine voice from outside. "Are you in there?"

"That sounds like Kitty," said Ember before opening the door to discover that it was in fact Kitty.

But she looked like she was on the verge of tears and the pop princess noticed.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Johnny... he... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Without warning, the green haired biker babe tackled Ember with a hug while wailing loudly.

Ember glanced back at Spectra who shrugged. Then she shifted her focus down to the sobbing friend of hers and asked, "What about Johnny?"

"I was... in the human world because... Johnny told me to take his bike and he... ordered his shadow to watch out for me and... while we were hiding out... his shadow cried out in pain and it disappeared...! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"So?" asked Spectra raising a brow. "What's the big deal with his shadow disappearing?"

Ember shifted her head to look at Spectra and displayed a frown before shaking her head. The red head quickly got the message.

"Oh my..."

* * *

AN: I don't know what to name this chapter so I'll let one of you decide. The best will be displayed. But nothing graphic or eww...


	24. Unnatural Disasters

Back at the Fenton Residence, the group were still trying to formulate a plan to stop Dan until the lab's alarm system went off.

"What is that?!" asked Danny, Sam, and Tucker all at once.

"That's not good," stated Jack becoming serious.

"What's happening?!"

"Its the Ecto Emergency Broadcast System!" answered Maddie as a screen descended from the ceiling and flickered to life in front of the group.

It showed a Japanese news broadcast with a female reporter who was saying, "5-Bu mae no jiten de, akui no aru yūrei ga hageshī bōfūu, kagekina kaminari, gorufubōrusaizu no hyō de Nihon o osotte imasu."

"What is she saying?" asked Danny.

"That a ghost is attacking Japan with rainstorms, lightning, and golf ball sized hail," translated the Fenton Matriarch.

The other four in the room looked at Maddie incredulously and she noticed.

"What? I studied it for a language in college."

Turning back to the screen, Maddie listened intently on the words being spoken.

"Seifu tōkyoku-sha wa yūrei to tatakau tame ni saizen o tsukushite imasuga, karera no doryoku wa kore made no tokoro muda ni suginai yōdesu," continued the reporter.

"Apparently, Japanese government officials are having trouble against the ghost," translated Maddie before the screen showed the weather ghost responsible for committing the acts.

"Hahaha!" laughed Vortex from the sky. "Watashi no kyōfu no honryū, soshite netsui no hibana o kanji, soshite watashi no ōku no hyōkin o wasurenai yō ni shiyou!"

"The ghost is saying..." began Maddie. "Feel its torrent of terror, sparks of enthusiam, and many hail marys. Basically its just using a play on words."

"Nevermind that!" declared Danny. "I gotta do something before Vortex destroys that country!"

"But how are we supposed to get there?" asked Sam. "I doubt there are any airplanes willing to..."

Tucker took out his phone and called someone.

"Excuse me, but I'm gonna need transportation to take us to Japan," said the techno geek. "Ok thanks. See you at the airstrip in a few minutes."

Everyone stared at Tucker like they did Maddie a minute ago and he noticed.

"What? Being the Mayor and all, I have access to many modes of transportation. Throw in the fact I'm best friends with Danny Phantom and its pretty much icing on the cake."

An hour later flying over Japan...

"We're here," stated Tucker.

"Go get him Danny," encouraged the goth girl.

Danny nodded before phasing out of the plane and flying out to confront Vortex.

"Hey!" called the halfa.

Gathering ecto energy into a hand, Danny launched an ecto ball at the back of Vortex's head and it exploded on contact.

"OOF!" exclaimed Vortex before turning to face the person responsible for the surprise attack.

"Attacking America is one thing, but if you attack the home of anime then you and I have a serious problem!" shouted the teen hero.

"Serious problem you say!? Let me show what one looks like!"

Using his power, Vortex conjured up a massive tornado from out of nowhere and it headed for Danny. The halfa gulped before flying away to avoid getting sucked up into the force of nature.

"Careful Phantom, you don't want to be sucked in and... BLOWN away!"

As awful as Vortex phrased it, Danny was captured nevertheless and was spinning around and around until being flung away at high speeds.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" cried the ghost boy.

Seeing a building in his path, the halfa went intangible and went though it. Coming out the other side, he rolled down the street of a highway many times and groaned.

"Ugh..."

"Wow, today is not your lucky day is it?" asked Shadow.

"No... it isn't," answered the halfa before blinking twice. "What are you doing here Shadow?"

"I had nothing better to do so I followed you here. I see you're battling Vortex."

"Yeah, but I'm about to kick his butt and send him back to where he belongs."

Danny was about to fly off until...

"Wait," said Shadow.

"What?"

"Why is he all the way out here instead of in Amity Park?"

"No clue," shrugged Danny. "Probably hates Hello Kitty for all I know.

"Kind of odd, don't you think?"

"Not really. It's usually his M.O to attack all over the world."

"Guess that's true... Well whatever. Go kick some butt."

Then Danny flew off to meet up with Vortex again but the ghost seemed to be waiting for him to arrive.

"Back for more?" asked Vortex. "Haven't had enough scoops of punishment? Here, have a double serving!"

The weather ghost's hands charged up with radical electricity and he fired off highly volatile electric balls at him. Gasping in shock(no pun intended), Danny surrounded himself with a ghost shield and upon contact with the barrier, a big explosion ensued which launched Danny backwards until he crashed into a tall building. Right after he fell to the ground.

"You got lucky last time Danny Phantom, but the weather is in my favor today!" chuckled the weather ghost as he made his way over to him.

Raising a hand overhead, Vortex concentrated ecto energy into a bigger ball than before. Then Danny got to his feet with a grunt.

"Die!"

After Vortex launched the ball, Danny took the hit full force and cried, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!"

An explosion ensued followed by Vortex laughing, "Goodbye and good riddance! Hahaha!"

"Guess again Thunder Head!"

"NANI?!" exclaimed the weather ghost looking to the side and spotting the halfa standing there with folded arms. "How did you survive?!"

The halfa duplicated himself and asked, "Does this answer your question?"

Then the duplicate popped out of existence before Danny spread his legs apart a bit and took in some air.

"UUUUUUUUWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The halfa unleashed his most devastating move, the Ghostly Wail. Vortex experienced the attack full force as it knocked him back through several buildings.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" cried the weather ghost.

The halfa stopped short of using every last bit of his power. Then, he flew over to the defeated and shrunken weather ghost, who was out cold. Finally, he took out the Fenton Thermos and captured Vortex with it.

* * *

AN: Blame Google Translate. Yup.


	25. Bittersweet Conversation

Later when Danny, Sam, and Tucker were on their way back, the mayor's cell rang.

"Mayor Foley here," stated Tucker after answering. "What?! You gotta be kidding me! Ok, I'll tell him right away."

"What's wrong Tucker?" asked Sam.

"Undergrowth is turning Paris into a giant garden!"

"Tell the pilot to head to France!" ordered Danny.

After the private jet turned, it sped up to get to the next destination.

Meanwhile in Amity Park...

"Do your thing," commanded Dan.

The Fright nodded before hoisting up his downward facing sword.

"By command of my new master and liege..." began the spirit of Halloween as he pierced his sword into the ground. "I claim this town now and forever under the banner of Lord Dan Phantom."

A green swirl of ecto energy ascended upwards before spreading out across the city to cover it in a dome of sorts.

"Now the real fun can begin," smirked the sinister ghost from the future.

In the next moment, Amity Park vanished from Earth and appeared floating within the open space of the Ghost Zone. At the Fenton Residence, the alarm was blaring loudly for Maddie and Jack to hear.

"An enormous spike in Ecto Energy!" announced Maddie.

The Fenton patriarch grabbed a large bazooka and tossed it to his wife before picking up one for himself.

"We got some ghosts to fry!" declared Jack.

Running out of the lab, Danny's parents headed out the door, hopped in the RV and sped off down the street. Using the ecto-sensors, they tracked the spike in energy to its source. Little did they know, two ghostly guests were there standing in front of the sword. The Fright Knight was about to make a move but Dan extended an arm out halting his actions.

"I'll handle these two," grinned Dan walking forward a few paces with his fist clenched tight. Then he drove it in the depths of the street. As a result, the ground cracked and green flames erupted from the crevices that formed. Maddie had no choice but to swerve and run into a street sign before coming to an abrupt stop.

"UGH! grimaced the Fentons.

After shaking their heads clear, the ghost hunters readied their weapons and jumped out the vehicle. Aiming beyond the flames, they fired blasts at the one responsible for triggering the crash but Dan simply manipulated his body so that each one would pass through him or miss entirely as he stepped through the flames.

"Hello Mom and Dad," said Dan.

Upon hearing his greeting, the Fenton's blinked.

"Mom and Dad?" whispered Jack. "Why would that ghost call us that?"

"Hmm... Oh no!" gasped Maddie figuring it out. "It must be that evil version of Danny from the future!"

"So that's what he looks like? I thought he'd be a lot taller from the way Danny described him."

"Focus Jack! We can't afford to...!"

Dan waved his hand and the two froze in place.

"Grr...! Can't... move...!" struggled the Fenton patriarch.

"I can't either...! Ugh...!" endeavored the Fenton matriarch.

"I believe it is time for the three us to get acquainted with each other," said Dan closing the distance between them. "Don't you agree?"

"Fat chance ghost!" shouted Jack.

"We already know everything there is to know about you!" spat Maddie. "You're a monster!"

"That's one way to put it," chuckled the evil ghost from the future. "However, don't be so quick to call the kettle black when the two of you are just as responsible for what transpired in my time period."

"What are you blabbering on about?" asked Jack.

"How are we responsible for what you did to countless numbers of humans and ghosts?" questioned Maddie.

"It was because of you, but mainly him *points to Jack*, that Danny and Vlad Masters received their ghost powers," explained Dan. "The same ghost powers which your son wanted to rid himself of after you, Jazz, and his friends died in the explosion at the Nasty Burger. Which in turn led to him asking Vlad to take them out along with his human emotions. But in doing so, the ghost snatched out that Fruitloop's ghost half and overshadowed it. As a result, I was created and began my reign of terror so to speak. Therefore you are to blame."

"Its not... no..." stammered Jack.

"We were only trying to..." began Maddie.

"To do what?" interrupted Dan with a raised brow. "See if ghosts actually existed? Discover life beyond death? Congratulations, you discovered those things. And you want to know the crazy part of it all? You never cared about anything other than your own obsessions."

"That's not true!" declared the Fenton patriarch.

"We certainly do care!" stated the Fenton Matriarch. "That I can assure you!"

"If you did, then how come you automatically assumed that all ghosts were evil?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Without any proof whatsoever, you two hypothesized that every ghost had malicious intent. Including the one who saved your lives. Danny Phantom. The same ghost who you inadvertently created. The same ghost who cleaned up your mistakes and took it upon himself to protect the town. You thought he was doing it simply because it was an obsession of his to play the hero and bask in the spotlight of it all. When really it was because he wanted to prevent the backlash of his naive ghost researching parents from spreading. Which ultimately, it did."

The air around Dan had shifted to one of a more serious nature before he continued speaking.

"Pitiful morons. How exactly does the logic and reasoning portion of your brains work? If a ghost does something bad, it only proves your point but if it does the opposite, then it must have an alterior motive of some kind? Very well. Then how about the ones who simply want to be left alone? You know, the neutral ghosts. Do they have an alterior motive? Do they want to bask in some spotlight? What kind of diabolical deeds are festering within the confines of their ectoplasm?"

The Fentons looked down in defeat and shame. But Dan wasn't done making his point yet.

"If you ask me, you're more ghostly in nature than I am. Obsessive with your work, obsessive with your desires, and obsessive in your grand sense of partial judgment. The latter to the point where if someone tried to debunk or correct you in any way, you would dismiss it as tomfoolery. Much like a ghost, any exhortation would be met with stone cold rejection and perhaps hostility. And you call yourselves scientists. Don't make me laugh."

The Fright Knight came walking over.

"The transfer is complete," said the spirit of Halloween. "Awaiting your orders."

Dan turned away from the Fentons and said, "Good. Now that my new realm is in the Ghost Zone, we can begin phase two."

The Fentons gasped in shock.

"As you command," bowed the Fright Knight.

"You won't get away with this!" declared Jack.

"Danny will stop you!" added Maddie.

"That's where you're wrong," said Dan before turning to face them with a smirk. "With the Fenton Portal here, your son has no way of getting inside the Ghost Zone. With that said, its time for you to take a nap."

After placing a hand on each of their shoulders, Dan sent a shock through the Fentons' bodies until they passed out and fell to the ground.

"Lock them up nice and tight. We wouldn't want them scurrying about freely."

The Fright Knight did as commanded by grabbing them and flying off. Now that he was gone, Dan flew off in another direction. Arriving inside the lab of the Fenton Residence in less than a minute...

"Now to cross my 't's and dot the 'i's."

Dan's fists glowed green and expanded outward before erupting. The end result of this action caused the complete destruction of the entire house.


	26. Enter The Inferno

Minutes later at Ember's place...

Ember had managed to calm Kitty down. Thankfully, she had tea in her fridge.

"Thanks Em..." said Kitty.

"Don't worry about it," responded Ember. "You'd do the same if it were me."

Turning away from the biker babe sitting on her couch, Ember motioned towards the door.

"Going somewhere?" questioned Spectra.

The pop princess stopped and turned before answering with, "Yeah."

"Didn't you hear me say there's a lunatic out there?"

"Yeah."

"And you're not afraid in the slightest?"

"Why would I be?"

"You must not have seen him hurl a pack of 50 ghosts across the Ghost Zone like pitcher would a baseball."

Brows raised out of curiosity, Ember asked, "Really?"

"Yes."

Impressed somewhat, the flame haired ghost commented, "Cool."

She turned to the door again and opened it before exiting out. Mouth agape, Spectra asked Kitty, "Is it me or does she seem different?"

"Now that I think about it, she does seem like she's more mature and confident than the last time I saw her," replied the biker babe. "And that coat is so stylish."

"I think so too! I definitely have to get one just like it!"

"Me too!"

And that's when the two went into a long conversation about clothes, men, and etc.

Flying through the Ghost Zone, Ember looked around for any signs of unusual ghost activity but she learned fast that their wasn't any activity from any ghosts whatsoever. As a matter of fact, there were no ghosts out and about at all.

"This place is like a desert," commented Ember. "Nobody's around except me."

"And me," chimed in Shadow.

"Ugh..." groaned the pop princess upon hearing the voice. "What do you want?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing huh? Right... because showing up for no reason is what you like to do."

"Do you want me to want something?"

"I don't have time for games. Just tell me why you're here."

"Ok. I don't think you should do it right now."

"Don't do what?"

"Fight you-know-who."

"Why not?"

"Because you won't win."

"Says you."

"I'm gonna say this once. You trained for the sole purpose of fighting Danny Phantom. Not Dan Phantom. Danny himself barely stopped Dan when they fought. That's with the aid of several high- tech anti-ghost weapons plus a Ghostly Wail. And even with all that, Dan still wasn't down for the count but luckily was weak enough to suck into the Fenton Thermos. There's a reason why he's referred to as the 'Ultimate Enemy' among those who fear his name. Because both humans and ghosts from the future couldn't stop him."

"I appreciate you looking out for me, but I'm not changing my mind so you can keep all that jazz to yourself."

"You're as stubborn as a mule, you know that?"

"And you're annoying as a mosquito."

"You didn't think I was annoying inside the Time Chamber."

"I did at first."

"Admit it. I grew on you, didn't I?"

"Like a fungus."

"You're lucky I don't have a retort for that one."

The ghostly pop princess smirked in satisfaction.

"I might as well tell you where to find Dan."

"You know where he is?" asked Ember.

"Yeah. Turn left at that clearing and head straight."

Doing as directed, Ember turned when she made it to the clearing.

"I'm confused," said the flame haired ghost. "I thought you didn't want me to fight him. So why show me where he is?"

"I'd rather you not burn yourself out looking for him," explained Shadow. "And besides, you're gonna need to be at 100% for this fight."

"Sounds like somebody cares a lot about me instead of being a neutral party."

"I'm neutral when it comes to you and Danny. When it comes to Dan however... let's just say he rubs me the wrong way."

"Oh."

After a few minutes of flying, Ember spotted something that caught her attention.

"What the heck is that?"

"Its Amity Park," answered Shadow.

"Amity Park?! What's it doing in the Ghost Zone?!"

"Dan claimed it as his new realm and brought it here."

Becoming a little nervous, a voice in the back of Ember's mind told her to turn back.

"Having seconds thoughts? You know its not too late to change your mind."

Clenching her fists tight, the flame-haired musician put on a brave face and said, "Sorry, but I've come too far to back down now."

Meanwhile, standing in front of an army of at least 10000 skeleton soldiers equipped with weapons and shields, the Fright Knight barked orders as Dan Phantom stood behind him.

"By decree of the master, your orders are to bring into subjection any and all habitations you happen upon," said the spirit of Halloween. "Whomsoever declines to submit to Lord Dan shall be punished without mercy. Am I understood?"

Every single soldier saluted.

"Onwards!"

The ghost army flew away in organized rows; one after the other. Before they were all out of eyesight, Dan Phantom's ghost sense went off.

"Huh?" blinked Dan. "That's interesting."

"Something the matter my liege?" asked the Fright Knight turning to his master.

"We have company," answered the wicked ghost from the future looking to the side and seeing Ember flying towards their location.

The spirit of Halloween glanced in the same direction and spotted her before asking, "Shall I deal with her?"

"No. You lead the charge while I handle our guest."

"As you command."

The Fright Knight mounted his horse and flew off in the same direction as the army.

Turning his body as soon as Ember landed, Dan commented, "Well if it isn't Ember Mclain. I wasn't expecting to see you. Come to perform one of your little concerts? I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I get back."

"Actually," started Ember as she removed the guitar from the back of her jacket. "I'm here to kick your butt."

Then without wasting any time, the pop princess quickly charged at Dan and swung the instrument down vertically like it was a sword with one hand. Dan hopped back and avoided the attack altogether.

"(She's fast...!)" thought Dan sweatdropping a little.

From there, Ember continued with a series of swings that Dan barely avoided.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," started the pop princess. "I'm not even using my full speed."

The caped ghost's eyes had widened and before he had realized it, Ember was behind his back. Right away, she unleashed a skullbeam.

"Ugh!" groaned the psychotic ghost from the future as he was sent flying. It took maybe 3 seconds for him to regain control before turning to face Ember who was mildly impressed he could take a shot like that and recover so quickly.

"(He's a tough cookie.)" thought Ember. "(This might not be as easy as I thought.)"

"That's it pop princess. Prepare to face your worst nightmare."

Splitting into 4, Dan and his duplicates rushed at Ember.

"Duplicates huh?" observed the blue haired ghost. "Sorry, that trick won't work on me."

After channeling some ecto energy into her guitar, Ember strummed her cords and a wide sound wave shot out of the instrument. The four Dans noticed and altered their form in order to change into a green vapor of smog. Ember's attack passed through the Dans. That stunt took the ghostly pop princess by surprise. Bodies changing back to regular once they had closed the distance, the 4 Dans attacked one at a time. The first hit her in the face with a strong right hook which sent her flying.

"Guh!" groaned Ember.

Now it was the second Dan's turn to do his job. He pursued fast and kicked the pop princess high into the air.

"Ack!"

Next the third locked his fingers together overhead and performed a heavy blow to her backside.

"Ugh!"

As she skyrocketed to the ground chest first, the fourth Dan waited and hoisted up his kneecap before driving it hard into her stomach. Ember eyes went out of focus after taking that blow. But the four weren't done yet. After Dan number 4 let Ember fall down through the air, the four together in a coordinated effort blasted the pop princess from different vantage points with power packed ghost rays.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

When all was said and done, Ember fell from the sky and crashed to the ground.

"Out of steam already?" chuckled Dan after the four joined into one about 10 feet away from Ember on the ground. "What happened to that little declaration of yours? I'm waiting for my butt to get kicked."

Struggling to get to her feet, the pop princess rose from the ground feeling 50 shades of pain all over her body.

"(This is insane.)" thought the blue haired ghost grimacing. "(I thought duplicating was supposed to divide a ghosts power. But every hit I took from him felt like it came from a tank. Looks like I gotta bust out the big guns.) HAAAAA!"

Extending her hands out towards him, Ember conjured up an upside down tornado around Dan.

"Huh?" blinked Dan in confusion. "(I thought she couldn't pull this off unless spectators were chanting her name. The pop diva of this time period must have honed her skills. No matter.) Your little cage can't hold me indefinitely."

Smirking, Ember retorted, "Who says that's what I had planned?"

In the next moment, the ghostly pop princess aimed her guitar and fired a flaming beam towards Dan. The evil ghost from the future sweatdropped in anticipation. As soon as Ember's attack made contact with the tornado, it mixed with the ghostly vortex and it seared Dan with its newfound twisting heat.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!" cried Dan.

Even if he had a fire core, the attack hurt like crazy. Barely getting an eye open a minute later, Dan grimaced before muttering, "Got to... put an end to this...!"

Spinning in the opposite direction of the fire tornado surrounding him, Dan made himself into a tornado that disrupted Ember's. The end result of his action left him standing free and somewhat bruised.

"Ugh..." groaned Ember before thinking, "(What does a girl have to do to take this guy down!?)"

* * *

AN: Dragon Ball Z is responsible for some of these fight scenes, dialogues, and etc. I didn't realize until after I wrote the story that I turned Ember into Vegeta in a way.


	27. Eyes To See Doors That's Near

Meanwhile in Paris...

"GAAAAAAAAH!" shrieked Undergrowth after taking the hit from a freeze ray to the roots and shrinking to an even smaller size than before.

"Time to say goodbye Undergrass!" declared Danny about to use the Fenton Thermos until the plant-type ghost chuckled. Raising a brow, the confused hero asked, "Uh... is something funny? Because I fail to see what you could find enjoyable about losing again."

"Foolish half ghost. You fail to see what's in front of your eyes. Or shall I say, what's behind them?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm not the only one that has been uprooted today. Hehehe... HAHAHAHA!"

Tired of the mind games, Danny used the thermos signifying his victory over Undergrowth.

On their way back to Amity Park sometime later...

"Something felt off about the way Undergrowth said those last words," mused Danny.

"Whatever he meant, we'll get to the bottom of it as soon as we get home," shrugged Tucker.

"At least when we do get back," started Sam. "You can finally get some sleep Danny."

"Yeah," agreed the halfa rubbing his eyes. "I'm long overdue to catch some Z's in my nice soft comfy..."

Before he could finish, the pilot over the intercom announced, "Attention Mr. Mayor and passengers. I regret to inform you that we will be unable to land in Amity Park."

"Huh?" blinked a confused Sam.

"Why not?" questioned the mayor.

"You see Mr Mayor..." started the pilot before explaining, "There's no Amity Park to land in."

"What!?" exclaimed Danny.

"He's right!" said Sam after peeking out the window and seeing vacant disturbed land below. "Amity Park is gone!"

Tucker and Danny checked out the window too.

"What happened to the city!?" asked Tucker.

And it was in that moment when Danny thought about Undergrowth's words.

"Guys..." started the teen hero. "I think this was what Undergrowth meant by him not being the only one uprooted."

Sam and Tucker's eyes widened when they looked to their friend.

"But how?!" questioned the mayor.

As powerful as Undergrowth is, I doubt he would be able to pull off something as big as nabbing the whole city!" argued the goth girl.

"I agree," nodded the halfa. "The only ghost I know who's capable of doing that is the Fright Knight."

"So you think they teamed up?" asked the techno geek.

"Hard to say. I can't think of a reason why those two would work together."

"Not unless you count the fact that they hate your guts," pointed out Sam.

"Point taken."

"But what about Vortex?" asked Shadow.

"Vortex?" repeated Tucker. "Who said anything about..."

And that's when Tucker paused.

"Shadow?"

"Its me," confirmed Shadow.

"What are you doing here?" asked Sam.

"Just hanging around. I'm surprised Danny didn't tell you that we talked to each other in Japan."

Sam and Tucker looked to their halfa friend who explained, "What? With all the stuff going on its hard to keep track of a guy I can't see who literally pops up out of nowhere."

"So you mentioned Vortex," said the mayor returning to the subject. "Why is that?"

"I believe Danny knows the answer to that question," recommended Shadow.

"I do?" blinked the teen hero.

"Remember what I said in Japan?"

"Yeah. You questioned why he was all the way over there instead of in Amity Par... Wait. Are you saying what I think you're trying to tell me? That it was all a ploy to lead me away from the city?!"

"Yeah."

"And you knew the whole time didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me!?"

"No sense in opening a door when the other person doesn't know that it exists."

"Seriously!? You're gonna give me that excuse again!?"

"Yeah."

"Why?!"

"Because telling someone about a door before they were meant to discover it would create dire consequences."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you sound a lot like Clockwork."

"Can you blame me? He taught me practically everything I know."

"What?!" exclaimed Team Phantom.

"Clockwork was my teacher."

"Holy cow..." blinked Tucker.

"Holy cow is right..." supported Sam.

"So you're his student?!" asked Danny.

"Was his student," corrected Shadow.

"And you have the same powers as him?"

"I can come and go without being detected. Also, as far as time manipulation is concerned, I can't."

"So is Clockwork really..." started the goth girl.

"Since 'it' happened, I saw no trace of him. Well anyway, we're jumping off subject. Danny, I know it seems like I'm being unfair when I say you must figure things out for yourself but actually I'm doing the total opposite. Just think about it like if I was Clockwork. He knows any and everything about the past, present, and future. But he doesn't share that knowledge with everyone. Why? Because everyone has to make their own future and live in the present while learning from their past. So if I open a door that you don't know exists, then what?"

"Then I can't make my own future?" guessed the ghost boy.

"And when you can't make your own future, you're robbed of learning from your past. And if you don't learn from your past, how can you live in the present where you can't make your own future?"

"Uh... what?" uttered the mayor.

"Totally lost here," admitted Sam.

"I understand now," said Danny.

Astonished, Sam and Tucker ask Danny together, "You do?"

"At least I think so. Its about doors. Doors from the past and doors to the future. By looking back at the ones from the past, I'd be able see what kind of doors exist leading to the future."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," stated Shadow.

"So you were being fair after all."

"Yep."

"Sorry about yelling at you," apologized the halfa rubbing the back of his neck.

"Its ok. Now... Since you fully understand what I meant when I said 'No sense in opening a door when the other person doesn't know that it exists', what kind of door do you see?"

The halfa thought long and hard for a while before answering, "Dan is responsible for what happened to Amity Park isn't he?"

Tucker and Sam's eyes had widened upon hearing Danny's statement.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" asked Shadow.

"Ever since he got out, I assumed that he would have showed up to get revenge," explained Danny. "But I didn't take into account that he's not like all my other enemies. In fact, he's about as smart and cunning as Vlad. And knowing Vlad, he'd come up with some sort of plan. So that's where ghosts like Vortex and Undergrowth would come into play. They'd lure me away and keep me busy while Dan took the city."

"He took the city with the help of the Fright Knight. But other than that, you're right."

"Looks like I have to go to the Ghost Zone and take back the city."

"You can't."

"Huh?"

"I said you can't."

"Why not?" questioned Sam.

"How is he supposed to get to the Ghost Zone?"

"The Fenton Por... tal..." started Tucker but thought about it midway. "Which is in the Ghost Zone isn't it?"

"Yep."

The trio hung their heads down in disappointment.

"I have an idea."

The trio picked up their heads and asked, "You do?"

"Tell the pilot to land in a nearby city. Then you three should check into a hotel from there."

"And after that?" asked Sam.

"Get some rest."

"Get some rest?!" repeated the halfa incredulously. "How can we when the city is...!"

"Its not in any immediate danger Danny," cut in Shadow.

"Its not?"

"Nope. Dan is preoccupied by something else at the moment so you don't have to worry."

"And you're sure nothing bad will happen?" asked Tucker.

"If anything changes, I'll let you guys know."

"So you can go back and forth between the Ghost Zone?" questioned Danny getting an idea.

"I know what you're thinking and I can't take people with me."

Feeling defeated and left with no other options, Team Phantom instructed the pilot to land at a nearby city. Right after that, they checked into a hotel.

Inside their room, Danny quickly fell asleep on his bed while Sam flipped through the channels on TV and Tucker checked his phone for any messages.

"Hey guys," greeted Shadow.

"Yeah Shadow?" responded the goth girl.

"I have to tell you something important."

"Ok..." uttered the mayor. "What is it?"

"Before I say what it is, you have to promise not to tell Danny."

"What?" blinked Sam. "Why?"

"Because the whole doors thing we talked about."

"So that doesn't apply to us?" questioned Tucker.

"Not in this instance. So do you promise not to say anything? Because if you're not comfortable keeping this a secret from him then you don't have to hear it."

Sam and Tucker exchanged looks before answering, "We promise."

"I overheard the Observants talking to Clockwork not too long ago. They said that in order to preserve the future, Danny has to die."

"WHAT?!"

The sleeping halfa stirred in his sleep thanks to the noise they made but he did not wake. Sam and Tucker noticed before deciding to lower their voices.

"Are you sure?!" sweatdropped Sam.

"Yes."

"What did Clockwork say?" asked Tucker.

"He agreed with them."

Sam and Tucker's eyes widened as they looked to their friend.

"We gotta do something!" stated the goth girl.

"Got that right!" agreed the techno geek.

"Calm down you two," ordered Shadow.

"Calm down?" repeated a slightly offended Sam. "How can you expect us be calm after hearing that?!"

"Especially after dropping a bombshell like that on us!?" added Tucker.

"Because you don't know if Danny will actually die," answered Shadow.

"Say what?"

"Clockwork isn't... you know... around. And the Observants don't really do dirty deeds themselves. So without either as a factor, I doubt whether Danny will kick the bucket through their interference."

"Yeah but he could still..." tried to argue the goth girl.

"Sam, everytime Danny has risked his neck, there was always a chance of that happening. Now is no different."

"I guess that's true."

"That's all I have to say for now. And remember, you promised to keep it a secret from Danny. With that, I'll talk to you guys tomorrow."

"Wait," said Tucker.

"What?"

"You've been helping us out a lot lately. Why is that?"

"And who are you really?" asked Sam.

"You'll find out soon," said Shadow. "I promise."

With that, Shadow left the trio.


	28. Spooks Next Door

Meanwhile at Ember's place...

"What do you think?" asked Spectra. "Should I try wearing more modest apparel or much less?"

"When you're out on a date, I'd say show as much skin as possible," recommended Kitty. "But any other time, try skin tight outfits that would make guys drool all over you."

"Not a bad idea! I will definitely try that!"

"Hola spooky chicas," greeted Shadow.

Spectra and Kitty stopped what they were doing before looking around the room.

"Huh?" blinked the red head. "Did you hear someone?"

"I did but I cant see anybody," responded the confused green haired ghost.

"That's because you're friendly neighborhood Shadow is invisible to the naked eye ladies," explained Shadow.

"Is that so?" questioned Spectra.

"Yeah."

"Are you Johnny's shadow?!" asked a slightly hopeful Kitty. "Does that mean he's...!"

"No and no."

"Oh..." slumped the biker bike.

"Then who are you?" asked the red head.

"Someone who can help solve your problems," answered Shadow.

After raising a skeptical brow, Spectra replied, "Really? You can help solve our problems?"

"Yeah."

"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Kitty.

"Because I know what happened to Johnny 13 and I can help you get him back."

"What?! You can?! Please tell me how to get my Johnny back!"

"Not yet. First, you two have to do me a favor first."

"I'll do anything!"

"I don't do favors," stated Spectra. "You can count me out."

"Well then nevermind," said Shadow.

"What!?" exclaimed the biker babe. "No!"

Then she turned to her friend.

"Spectra, please reconsider!"

"Sorry Kitty," apologized the red head. "As much as I like you, I'm afraid there's nothing in it for me. Which is why I don't see the point in all this."

"The point is that you won't have to live in fear of the ghost who was trying to end your afterlife earlier," interjected Shadow.

"Really? Then why didn't you say that before?"

"I thought you would have said yes when I brought up the whole 'I know about Johnny' bit so I didn't think it was necessary."

"Then count me in. I'll gladly do your favor if you can keep that creep off my tail."

"Ok. Here's what you two need to do..."

The next day, around 10 in the morning...

Danny groaned as his eyes cracked open.

"Looks like he's finally waking up," noticed Tucker.

The halfa sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Morning Danny," greeted Sam. "How'd you sleep?"

After pulling the cover's off of himself and sliding his feet off the bed, the teen hero answered with a smile, "Like a baby moose lion."

"A what now?"

"Nothing. I just always wanted to say that for some odd reason."

"Well now that you're up, want to order some room service?" asked the techno geek.

"Sounds like a good idea. I am kinda hungry."

That's when Danny's stomach growled loud enough for his friends to hear.

"Kinda hungry?" repeated the goth girl with a smirk and a raised brow.

An embarrassed Danny corrected himself by saying, "Make that really hungry."

Sometime later, with a cart full of breakfast foods...

While Danny was busy biting into the sausage at the tip of his fork he asked, "So any word from Shadow?"

"Not yet," answered Sam.

"I hope he comes back soon. I honestly don't know what to do next."

"Me too," agreed Tucker before sipping his orange juice. "It was his idea for us to come to this hotel and as much as I like the place plus the food, we can't stay here forever while Amity Park is in the Ghost Zone."

"Well, at least he said he'd tell us if anything bad was happening to it."

Meanwhile, waking up in bed...

"Ugh..." groaned Ember sitting up and rubbing her temples. "What happened?"

"Ember!" beamed Kitty. "Thank goodness you're up!"

The biker babe came over and hugged her friend tight nearly suffocating her. But the near chokehold lasted for a few seconds before Ember was released. Still a little groggy, the confused pop diva asked, "Kitty? What are you doing here?"

"I think you mean 'we'," corrected Spectra.

Turning her head to the side, the pop princess noticed Spectra filing her nails and said, "Spectra? What the heck is going on?"

"After we found out you were battling that creep, we went looking for you."

"And then we brought you back here" added Kitty.

"(Yeah... that sounds about right.)" thought the flame haired ghost remembering. "How did you guys find out about that? I don't remember telling you."

"Some invisible character called Shadow filled us in," explained the red head.

"He said that we needed to get you out of there when the fight was over," chimed in the biker babe.

After facepalming with a groan, Ember muttered, "Of course he did. Why am I not surprised?"

Raising a brow, Spectra asked, "So you know of this Shadow person?"

"Unfortunately..."

"I think you mean fortunately," corrected Shadow.

Spectra and Kitty blinked.

"Did you have to tell them what I was doing?" questioned the pop princess.

"Did you have to fight Dan?" shot back Shadow.

After folding her arms, Ember humphed.

"We did like you asked," stated the red head. "Now will you do something about that creep now?"

"And please tell me about Johnny," begged Kitty.

"Why certainly," responded Shadow. "All you have to do is follow me through the wall to the next room and we can start from there. That goes for you too Ember."

"(Next room?)" thought Ember looking around. "(Wait a minute... this isn't my pad. As a matter of fact, we're not even in the Ghost Zone.)"

Spectra and Kitty did as Shadow instructed by walking across the room and phasing through the wall. After hopping out of bed, Ember did same. When coming out the other side, she noticed someone she did not expect to see.

"Dipstick?!" exclaimed the flame haired ghost.

Danny and his friends blinked in shock after turning.

"What the heck is going on?!" gasped Tucker.

"Where did they come from?!" asked Sam.

"Spectra, Kitty and Ember!?" sweatdropped Danny. "What in the world is going on?!"

Standing tall in a hurry, Danny quickly transformed into his alter ego Danny Phantom.

"Sam, Tucker! Get behind me!"

The goth and techno geek did as instructed.

"I don't know what kind of game this is but I certainly don't like it!" stated Spectra readying herself to strike at any given moment with sharp claws.

"Phantom?" gaped Kitty as her hands glowed with ecto energy. "Was this a trap!?"

Just when almost everyone in the room was about to attack each other, a black spiral of ecto energy manifested between the two sides.

"What the heck is that?" questioned Ember.

"Uh oh," uttered Danny as his ghost sense went off. "Don't tell me its another ghost?!"

The two groups backed away as the energy expanded outward before reshaping itself into a dark grey bodily figure with white hair, red eyes and a ghostly tail. It had no mouth or a nose.

"Oh man!" swallowed Tucker. "This is not our lucky day!"

"Geez you think?!" asked Sam sarcastically.


	29. Shadow Boxing

The ghost looked around the room with its intimidating scowl before locking its eyes on Danny and pointing at him with a finger.

"I've come..." started the ghost. "To take your soul!"

Danny gulped. Then the ghost pointed to Sam, Tucker, Spectra, Kitty, and lastly Ember.

"That goes for the rest of you too!"

The group took a step back. All except for Ember who folded her arms over her chest.

"Seriously?" remarked the flame haired ghost with a raised brow.

The dark grey ghost's expression had lightened up and it rubbed the back of its head before saying, "Too much?"

"Yeah."

"Had to do something to calm these guys down," shrugged the mouthless ghost. "Looks like it worked."

"Um... Ember?" started Kitty looking to her friend. "Do you know this person?"

"Unfortunately I do," answered Ember.

"And who prey tell is this ghost?" asked Spectra.

Ember was about to answer but Sam beat her too it with, "Shadow? Is that you?"

The mouthless ghost turned to the goth girl and responded, "Yep."

"Hold on a second," said Tucker shaking his head. "You're Shadow?"

The white-haired ghost nodded.

"The same Shadow who has been helping me lately?" asked Danny.

"I am he," said Shadow.

"You've been helping Dipstick?" asked Ember raising a brow.

Shadow turned around to face Ember before saying, "What? Are you jealous or something?"

"Don't try to turn this around on me. I want answers."

"So do I," added Danny as his face became serious.

"I second that," tossed in Sam. "Well, third but you get the point."

"Ok," said the mouthless ghost. "I suppose I do owe you guys an explanation."

Then the dark grey ghost cleared its throat.

"As I informed Ember a while back, I am neither on her side nor on Danny's side. Therefore, who I know and who I associate with is nobody's business, but my own."

"Like heck it isn't my business!" snapped the pop princess. "You could have been giving him inside knowledge about my plans the whole time!"

"And how do I know you didn't help her kidnap my parents and my friends?" added the halfa.

"Rather than answer that, why don't you two ask the other person involved?" suggested Shadow. "I mean you're standing across from each other."

Ember and Danny looked at each other realizing that Shadow had a point.

"So um..." stammered the teen hero. "Did he uh... help you do that?"

"No," answered Ember before asking, "Did he... you know... tell you about my plans?"

"He hasn't."

The flame haired ghost shifted her gaze to Shadow again and said, "You might not have said anything to him, but I still don't like it."

"So you weren't involved but that still doesn't explain why a neutral ghost would bother helping us to begin with," pointed out Danny.

"The answer to that is simple," started Shadow. "I wanted all of you to be ready for the day Dan escaped from the thermos."

Ember, Danny, Sam, and Tucker blinked twice. Spectra and Kitty noticed their behavior.

"(Why do I get the feeling that I've been sucked into an unpleasant situation?)" thought Spectra.

"He's the one responsible for what happened to Johnny?" questioned Kitty.

"He is," answered the dark grey ghost.

"You...!" growled the pop princess as her hands clenched into tight fists before she fired a doublehanded ghost ray at the mouthless ghost. Shadow crashed against the wall before falling flat on his stomach with a groan. Everyone else in the room could only stare in shock as she approached the grimacing specter. "This whole time... you manipulated me like a stupid puppet!"

"What?"

"I see through your little mind games now. Pretending to help when you actually wanted me to do your dirty work for you."

Shadow pushed himself off the ground, but Ember kicked him in the side. The ghost groaned as he clenched the injured area.

"Cmon Ember!" shouted Danny. "That's enough!"

She looked over her shoulder and glared at the halfa before ordering, "Can it Dipstick! This is between me and him!"

"Ember!"

"No Danny," said Shadow.

Ember turned to face Shadow who had got up but was holding his side.

"Ember's right. This is... between the two of us."

The dark grey ghost looked past Ember to Danny and smiled.

"This is a door that doesn't belong to you ok?"

Danny fell silent for a few seconds and nodded before saying, "Ok."

Shadow focused on Ember again and continued with, "Now where were we? I think you said that I manipulated you like a puppet."

"I did and I was about to dish some more pain your way," stated the pop princess.

"Fine. Let's take this to the roof."

The two simultaneously flew up through the ceiling.

"There's no way I'm going to miss this," smiled Spectra following behind.

"I'm coming too," said Kitty doing the same.

"C'mon Danny," said Sam.

"Yeah dude," agreed Tucker. "What are you waiting for? Take us up."

Danny grabbed hold of his friends and flew up to the roof of the hotel. When they had arrived, Ember was already going after Shadow without holding back.

"She's beating him to a pulp!" gulped the mayor of Amity Park.

"And he's not fighting back..." observed Sam. "Why?"

Ember sent out a bolt of lightning at him and it zapped Shadow to no end. Then she followed up with a fist beam, and fired a blast from her guitar. Danny watched in silence as Shadow took hit after hit. But through it all, the grey ghost never went down.

"I have to give that Shadow some credit," complemented Spectra. "He knows how to take a thrashing."

"Especially from Ember of all people," added Kitty. "I'm surprised he's still conscious."

Several minutes later...

Ember panted in exhaustion while Shadow hovered with a big lump over his left eye and many bruises covering his ghostly body.

"You hit... hard...!" winced the mouthless ghost.

"You... didn't... fight... back," slowly breathed Ember. "Why?"

Shadow inhaled deeply and exhaled seconds after before saying, "I'll answer that but there's something I need to say first."

"Fine."

"Ember Mcrib."

"What?" blinked the ghostly pop princess.

"I assume you remember the last time you heard that name."

"Of course I do. Clockhead said it was a nickname the other me from the future had. What's your point?"

"If it wasn't for me, you would have suffered the same fate."

"As if I'd let that happen to me," said the flame haired ghost folding her arms.

"Let that happen? You lost to Dan in this time period and the other. The only difference between the two is that he thought you were a worthy foe in this one and decided to leave your vocal cords intact.

Ember looked down and fell silent as she remembered the fight between her and Dan.

_[Memory Start]_

_In the next moment, the ghostly pop princess aimed her guitar and fired a flaming beam towards Dan. The evil ghost from the future sweatdropped in anticipation. As soon as Ember's attack made contact with the tornado, it mixed with the ghostly vortex and it seared Dan with its newfound twisting heat._

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!" cried Dan._

_Even if he had a fire core, the attack hurt like crazy. Barely getting an eye open a minute later, Dan grimaced before muttering, "Got to... put an end to this...!"_

_Spinning in the opposite direction of the fire tornado surrounding him, Dan made himself into a tornado that disrupted Ember's. The end result of his action left him standing free and somewhat bruised._

_"Ugh..." groaned Ember before thinking, "(What does a girl have to do to take this guy down!?)"_

_"If that's the best you can do then I'm afraid this battle is already over," stated the evil ghost from the future._

_In the next moment, Dan raised his right forearm in front of his face before swiping his hand to the right. Ember was blindsided as an ecto wave crashed into her from the side._

_"Agh!" exclaimed the pop princess before skipping across the ground a few times, then landing on her stomach. With her guitar still in hand, the flame haired ghost used it to help herself to her feet. She panted heavily for a few seconds before aiming her hand and shouting, "Take this!"_

_A ghost ray was fired, but Dan manipulated his body so that it would pass through his chest._

_"Pitiful little Ember Mclain," grinned Dan seeing her growl in frustration. "Although you've managed to improve your skills, you still cant match the bar that is Dan Phantom. Not that you could measure up to my younger half either for that matter. Hahaha!"_

_"Shut up!" ordered Ember with clenched fists._

_Her hair extended out with the intention of incinerating Dan with its flames. But Dan grabbed hold of the flaming hair somehow and managed to swing her around in a circle as he hoisted the pop princess up off the ground._

_"Let... GO...!"_

_"Why?" snickered the evil ghost from the future. "I'm only trying to help you with these knots and split ends. These things take time and effort to fix. Lucky for you, I know of a shortcut method!"_

_Dan swung her faster and faster until everything became a blur to the pop princess. After a minute or two..._

_"There. All finished!"_

_Then, he let Ember go as she skyrocketed to the ground below like meteorite._

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" cried pop diva during her journey._

_When she made impact with the ground, she slid across it for nearly a quarter of a mile before coming stop inside of a small crater. Bruised and battered, Ember was down for the count. Dan landed over her body with a foot on each side while looking down. Ember let out a groan as her eyes barely came open to look up at him._

_"I'm impressed," admitted Dan. "So much so that I'm willing to spare you your fate this time around."_

_He aimed a glowing green hand at her._

_"Goodnight Ember. And stay out of my way if you know what's good for you."_

_And that's when everything went green then followed by black for the pop princess._

_[Memory End]_

Ember looked up to Shadow and the anger she had towards the white haired ghost had disappeared.

"You're right," said the flame haired ghost. "I got lucky because of you."

"And how does that make you feel?" asked Shadow.

"Like a helpless little girl who can't do anything on my own..."

"Good."

"Huh? You're happy that I feel that way?"

"No, but I'm glad that you acknowledge it."

"Now you're confusing me."

"If one can't admit the truth to themselves then how can they expect to move forward and grow as an individual?"

"So basically this was a face facts kind of deal?"

"Yep."

"And you taking a beating from me was to help me with that?"

"I did it to show you that if I could take a beating from you and not go down, then your chances of beating Dan by yourself is as likely as hitting the lottery. So don't get overconfident in your abilities again or you might end up in a worse condition than what you put me in. Got it?"

"Loud and clear..." muttered Ember turning away.

"Now lets go back to the room."

A minute later in the hotel room...

"Before we start, I would like to apologize to Danny and Ember," started Shadow. "I admit I was sort of manipulating you guys in some form or fashion. But I don't want you to take it the wrong way. Not once had I thought of you two as pawns or puppets for me to use. I was only doing what I thought was necessary so that both this world and the Ghost Zone could have a better future. Still I'm sorry for what I did and I hope you guys forgive me."

"You don't have to apologize," responded Danny. "I understand where you're coming from. If I were in your shoes, I probably would have done the same thing. Especially when my evil half is involved."

"Thanks."

"Dipstick might accept your apology but I don't," said Ember.

"That's fair. I'm at least glad you chose to stick around instead of ditching us so thanks."

Feeling uncomfortable by Shadow's gratitude, the flame haired ghost ordered, "Get on with what you have to say before I change my mind."

The mouthless ghost nodded before suggesting, "I think all of you should work together to save the world."

"What?" blinked Danny.

"Huh?" gaped the pop princess.

"Are you nuts?" asked Tucker.

"Us team up with them?" questioned Spectra.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Sam in disbelief.

"Is this some kind of joke?" remarked Kitty.

"Come on guys," started Shadow spreading his arms out. "Don't act like you're so surprised. Why else would I bring you here together?"

Everybody exchanged looks with each other before Danny decided to ask, "Not that I'm against it but is this really necessary?"

"Is Green Undead Remission a great game?"

The halfa didn't need anymore convincing than that so he replied, "Its not like this is the first time I teamed up with ghosts who hate my guts so I'm in."

"I hope we're not going to regret this," frowned Sam. "I'm in too."

"Sounds good to me," nodded Tucker.

Our heroes waited for the ghost girls to answer.

"If I do this, I'll get Johnny back right?" asked Kitty.

"Yep," answered the dark grey ghost.

"Ok. I'm in."

"As much as I despise Phantom, I hate this Dan guy more," stated Spectra. "I'll join the party but don't expect me to fight him."

"Sure," nodded the mouthless ghost.

And then there was one. Everybody shifted their eyes to Ember who seemed annoyed by the pressure.

"Ugh..." groaned Ember. "Fine, I'll give it a shot. But I won't take orders from any of you. Especially you Dipstick."

"(Same old Ember.)" thought Danny chuckling.

"Ok," said Shadow. "Now that we have our team, I believe we can move on to the plan."

"Hold on," started Tucker raising a brow. "You have a plan?"

"What? Did you think that I was just goofing off and messing around with the two lovebirds the entire time?"

"We are not lovebirds!" shouted Danny and Ember at the same time.

"Calm down. I was just kidding geez. No need to get all defensive. Although, I am surprised how you both said that at the exact same time."

Danny and Ember did their best to avoid looking at each other to not make things even more awkward.

"But anywho, the plan. As you all know, Dan is the problem. However, he's not the only one though. The Fright Knight pledged his allegiance to him and you know how troublesome he can be. Especially with an army of ghouls at his command."

"We have to deal with that buckethead too?" asked the annoyed pop princess.

"And you never said anything about fighting an army..." added the red head.

"I love Johnny but I'm not sure I want to fight against that many ghosts for him," frowned the biker babe.

"Don't worry Divas of Disaster," comforted the mouthless ghost. "Where there's a Shadow, there's a plan."

"Hey!" shouted Ember. "We never agreed to be called a name like that!"

"Hold on Em," intervened Spectra. "I kinda like it."

"Me too," smiled Kitty. "You gotta admit its pretty rad."

"Ok its cool," admitted the flame haired ghost after sighing. "But fighting an army with only seven of us is suicide."

"Like I said before Divas of Disaster," started Shadow followed by Ember scowling at him but the dark grey ghost ignored her. "When there's a Shadow, there's a plan."

* * *

AN: Ignore it if a flashback doesn't have exactly the same words as what I posted in a previous chapter. I'll fix that down the road.


	30. Tall Tales

The Fright Knight hovered in an open space while mounted atop his flying steed. Soon after, several skeleton soldiers came flying towards him from multiple directions. When they made it within earshot of him he asked, "Well? What be your news?"

One by one each skeleton saluted. Not all of them though. One of them had a hardened look on his face. The Fright Knight noticed and nodded.

"The rest of you press on. I shall deal with the inhabitants of Acropolis personally."

Each skeleton ghost soldier scattered and the Fright Knight accompanied the one who had a hardened face as they flew towards the destination.

Not too many minutes pass before the Fright Knight had arrived to the home of Pandora. Speaking of which, the quick tempered ghost alongside other ghosts who normally resided around her domain fought hard against the army surrounding them. Pandora blasted away a few, a centaur stepped on top of some, Medusa turned a couple into stone, a cyclops disintegrated groups of three with it's eye beam, Minotaurs ran over lines like they were helpless dandylions. Frankly, it was all out war there.

"You boneheads think you can make me submit!?" bellowed Pandora. "I submit to no Ghost! Not even the Pariah Dark himself!"

She spread all of her four arms out in multiple directions and fired at will. Those who were her allies saw it coming and took cover. Needless to say, if they hadn't they would have been charred ecto remains as well.

"Tale of your resistance has reached my ears Pandora," declared the Fright Knight as soon as Pandora let out a sigh of relief.

Pandora turned to see the Fright Knight descending to the cleared gardens. When he touched down, he continued speaking.

"However, I will overlook your misdeed should you stand down and pledge your loyalty to the master."

"Overlook my misdeed!?" questioned the furious Acropolian. "You are the one who have committed a grave misdeed in thinking that I would pledge loyalty to some upstart!"

"Very well," said the spirit of Halloween after dismounting and pulling out his sword. "I will make you an example to all those who would dare defy Lord Dan."

After leaping high, the Fright Knight intended to cleave the very tall Pandora down the middle with his soul shredder. However, his strike was blocked once Pandora raised her staff.

"Grr... HAA!" roared Pandora filled with fury before shooting out a fire blast from her hair which push the knight backwards through the air with several flips. After righting himself, the spirit of Halloween growled in anger before firing deadly beams from his eyes. Pandora quickly took off from the ground to dodge. As she did, the Fright Knight pointed his sword and fired multiple ghost rays out of it. The Acropolian dodged two but was struck by one in the stomach. She shrugged the attack off and aimed two of her hands to repay him twofold with blasts of her own. On reaction, the spirit of Halloween swung his weapon to deflect the attacks back. Pandora was struck by both simultaneously and crashed to the ground. After a few seconds, she groaned before sitting up to shake her head.

Then the Fright Knight landed in front of her and stuck his sword out beneath her chin against her neck before asking, "Do you yield?"

"Never!" glared Pandora.

And in the next moment, he pulled his sword arm back and thrusted true through her body. The leader of Acropolis vanished thereafter. Then the Fright Knight turned his gaze upon the rest of the ghosts who resided there and they fleed into the sky away from there home.

Meanwhile, Dan Phantom at a different location had an Observant in his clutches with a sharp soul piercing stare locked onto the eye of his prey.

"Now, down to business," he started. "I believe you have something I want."

"I will never tell you where it is!" refused the Observant.

"I'm sorry. Did I give off the impression that I was in the mood for rejection? Or is the broken bodies of your little friends littered about the place not a clear enough picture for you to comprehend?"

The Observant turned his head from right to left. Everywhere he looked he saw his people beaten and broken amidst the destruction.

"Ok..." surrendered the Observant. "I'll show you where it is."

Dan loosed his grip on the Observant's robe allowing it to stand... er float of its own accord.

"Lead the way," ordered the ghost from the future. "And no funny business or I'll poke out your eyeball."

The eyeball headed ghost made its way out of the area to the hallway with Dan following close behind.

Minutes later, the two made it to a vault. The observer stretched out an arm to it as if inviting Dan to go in.

"Its in there," he said.

Dan looked back and forth between the door and his guide thinking. Then he said, "After you."

"I told you its in there. You don't need me any longer."

"And I told you to go first. Don't make me repeat myself."

Dan held up a fist and it glowed menacingly.

"Very well..." sighed the Observant.

Becoming intangible, the robed ghost passed inside the vault. Dan did the same and as soon as he came in, he saw all manner of items in the large sized space.

"Hm... What is all this junk?" asked Dan.

"Objects which we safeguard from the likes of fiends like you," answered the other.

After a roll of the eyes, Dan asked, "Where is it?"

"I have no clue."

Dan gave him a death glare and fired a ecto blast that passed a few inches away from the Observant's head. The blast hit a wall blowing a hole through it.

"I-I swear! I only know that this is where they would store it! B-beyond that I have no clue!"

Disappointed and yet believing, Dan turned his attention away from his guide. His eyes scanned around clutters and piles of stuff. Then he split into 4. Right after they stated, "Just because you don't know where it is that doesn't mean you can't help me locate what I'm looking for. Get to it."

Not wanting to anger him(or them?), the Observant did as commanded. A short while later in the middle of searching, the Observant found a small ornate box.

"(I wonder what's in here...) thought the eyeball headed ghost.

He opened the container and as soon as he saw what was inside, his eye had widened.

"Found it yet?" asked one of the Dan's in the room.

"Huh?" uttered the Observant before looking over his shoulder at the four still searching but too focused to look his way.

"I asked have you found it eyeball?"

"Oh uh..."

The Observant quickly pocketed whatever was in the box.

"My search has come up dry."

After closing the box and putting it back on the shelf where he found it before, the Observant moved on to another area of junk.

Another few minutes pass and the 4 Dans merged back into one.

"This is odd," mused the ghost from the future while rubbing his chin. "There seems to be no trace of it anywhere."

"Indeed it is strange," agreed the Observant. "I thought the others would no doubt have placed it in here somewhere, but it would seem I was mistaken."

"Hm... you could be right."

In the next moment, Dan fired a ghost ray that blasted the Observant against the wall and the eyeball headed ghost groaned.

After toppling to the floor, the Observant asked, "What was... that for!?"

"Cut the innocent act," ordered Dan. "I know you have it tucked away in your inside pocket."

The Observant froze and stuttered, "Th-then why d-did you...!"

After making his way over and crouching down, the ghost from the future said, "Feign obliviousness? Because I wanted you to give me a reason to punish you."

Dan reached down through the Observant's robe with an intangible hand and grabbed the item.

"Someone will stop you!" declared the eyeball headed ghost.

"That someone won't be you," retorted Dan as he stood up. Then he aimed down with his free hand and the last thing that Observant saw was green.

* * *

AN: Fun fact, we have around 15 chapters left to go. Uh-oh... I read the wrong flash card.


	31. Mission and Objectives

In another part of the Ghost Zone much later on...

A portal appeared over a rocky path. Seconds after Danny, Sam, Tucker, Ember, Spectra, Kitty, and Shadow came out of it.

"The Ghost Zone..." observed the halfa of the group before commenting, "Never thought I'd be happy to be here for once."

"That and finding a way to get here," added Sam.

"Speaking of which," started Tucker shifting his attention to one of the ghosts in the group. "Thanks Kitty."

"Don't mention it," smiled the biker babe sitting atop Johnny's bike. "Besides, if it weren't for Johnny hotwiring his bike with one of those doohickeys he snatched from the lab belonging to Phantom's parents, we'd probably be stuck in here with no way out."

"I can't decide if I should be grateful or mad that he did," mused Danny.

"Lets just call it a blessing in disguise okay?"

"Fine."

"Alright guys," signaled Shadow. "You know what we have to do right?"

"Yeah," replied Ember. "Kick butt, save our homes, and take over the world tomorrow."

"Except for that last part you're right," chuckled the dark grey ghost. "Now lets go."

Shadow grabbed hold of Sam and Tucker before taking off. Then Kitty and Spectra flew off in a different direction. Lastly, Danny and Ember did as the others and headed where they were supposed to go.

While flying...

"Hey Shadow," called Sam.

"Yeah?" said Shadow.

"About what you made us promise not to tell Danny..."

"You're still worried that he might die right?"

"Yeah..."

"I can't stop thinking about it either..." frowned Tucker.

"How about I make you two a promise," said the white haired ghost.

"What kind of promise?" asked the goth girl.

"I'll do everything I can to make sure Danny comes back in one piece. Sounds good?"

"Sounds good," smiled the two friends after exchanging looks with each other.

Shadow made a turn and flew down inside an ice cavern. A minute or two later, the three man group landed in soft snow.

"Greetings," bellowed a friendly voice.

Sam, Tucker, and Shadow noticed that mysterious voice came from Frostbite, the ruler of the Far Frozen Realm who was with two other Yetis(with or without the 'S'?).

"To what do I owe the honor of a visit from the servants of the Great One?"

"Servants?" repeated Sam taking offense to the title. "We are not Danny's servants."

"We're his friends dude," added Tucker fixing his glasses.

"Ah yes," chuckled the Yeti. "Please forgive me friends of the Great One."

Then Frostbite noticed Shadow before raising a brow.

"Oh? I almost did not recognize you for a minute there."

"You know Shadow?" asked the goth girl.

"Shadow? You mean that spook bonded to that unlucky numbered ghost known as Johnny?"

"No," answered the mayor of Amity Park pointing his thumb in the dark grey ghost's direction. "We mean this ghost right here."

Shadow stared Frostbite in the eyes.

"These guys know me by the name Shadow," clarified Shadow. "I'd like it if it were kept that way."

"As you wish," nodded Frostbite. "So what brings you three to this part of the Ghost Zone?"

"There's an army being led by a powerful ghost alongside the Fright Knight," answered Sam.

"They're also trying to take over the entire Ghost Zone," added Tucker.

"So far, about 70-80% has either surrender or been taken over by force" stated the dark grey ghost.

"That sounds troublesome," commented the Far Frozen ruler becoming serious. "So how can I be of assistance?"

"Danny can't take down an entire army by himself," said the goth girl.

"We were hoping that you and your people would help fight them," said the techno geek.

"The Great One is in need of assistance? Say no more," declared Frostbite. "The Yetis of the Far Frozen will lend our aid to him."

"Now that we got that out of the way, I'm off," said Shadow.

Sam and Tucker turned to face him.

"What?" blinked Sam confused.

"You're leaving us?" asked Tucker.

"Yep," answered the dark grey ghost.

"Why?" frowned the goth girl.

"Because you're in capable hands. Isn't that right Frostbite?"

"Indeed they are," smiled the leader of the Far Frozen.

Shadow nodded to the Yeti before turning to the humans and winking.

"And besides," winked Shadow to Sam. "I have a promise to keep to two of my friends."

Hearing the ghost call them his friends made Sam and Tucker smile.

With those last words said, Shadow popped out of existence in a black spiral of ecto energy.

"Come," said Frostbite placing a hand on their shoulders. "We have much to prepare for."

The duo nodded and they accompanied him to his home.


	32. Welcome Home, Goodbye Home

Flying through the air somewhere in the Ghost Zone...

"How much farther Ember?" asked Danny.

"We have to take a left at the upcoming clearing and head straight," replied Ember. "It will take a few minutes before we reach the place."

"Ok."

The two turned left at the clearing like Ember said and kept going. The whole flight together was silent up until Danny decided to ask that question. But then he suddenly felt the need to ask another.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What now?" said the pop princess. "If its about using the bathroom, I'm not stopping so you can take a leak."

"Actually its about what Shadow said on the roof of the Hotel."

The pop princess groaned, but Danny ignored it.

"He said you fought against Dan and lost."

"Don't remind me..." muttered the flame haired ghost under her breath.

"Why did you fight him?"

Surprised and yet offended all at once, Ember replied, "You say that like I wasn't supposed to."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just want to know why?"

"Not that its any of your business but I thought I could take him down."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. And besides, its not like I was gonna sit back and let him turn my home upside down."

"So... What did you think of my darker self?"

"He's a pain. Kinda like you except it for the whole 'I'm better than you' attitude."

"I am not a pain."

Ember smirked.

"But anyway, it doesn't seem like he's changed since the last time we've meet."

Then the halfa let out a heavy sigh and the pop princess noticed.

"Something wrong dipstick?"

"Yeah," said Danny. "I kinda feel bad for the guy."

"You're kidding right? He literally stole your whole town and got rid of your friend Clockhead. And that's just the stuff he did recently. How can you feel sorry for him?"

"Trust me. I'm still mad about those things. Heck, I want to make sure he never hurts another living/nonliving soul ever again. But..."

The halfa looked down.

"But what?" asked Ember with a raised brow.

"A part of me can't help but think how easy it is for someone to lose their way," explained the ghost boy. "One little mistake is all it takes to go dark. One little mistake and I could have went dark. Its scary to think about."

"But you got a second chance and you're still alive."

"True, but what about him? What makes me more special than Dan? Why did I get a second chance and while he didn't?"

"You'd have to ask Clockhead that."

"Too bad he's gone. Guess, I'll never know."

Silence followed and not too long after the two arrive at Amity Park. When they had landed in the middle of a street...

"Hey look!" shouted a voice that sounded familiar to the halfa. "Its Danny Phantom!"

All of a sudden, people from around Amity Park filed out of their houses and homes.

"Take it easy guys!" shouted the teen hero.

After almost being bum rushed, Danny let out a quick sigh. At the front of the pack was Dash Baxter who looked as excited as a kid on Halloween.

"Hey Danny!" greeted the high school jock. "Where have you been man?! We like, needed you and stuff!"

"I was um taking caring of business overseas but when I heard what was going on it was too late," explained the halfa. "I couldn't find a way to get inside the Ghost Zone until today."

Paulina came strolling up and grabbed Danny by the arm with longing in her eyes before saying, "Now that you're here I know you'll protect me from all those spooks."

"Um... I'll try to get everyone home at least..."

The ghostly pop princess cleared her throat getting everyone's attention.

"Tell this crowd to beat it Dipstick," ordered Ember. "We don't have time to sign autographs."

"Right," nodded Danny before removing Paulina from his arm followed by addressing the crowd. "Excuse me everyone. I know that you're scared and probably worried but right now is not the best time for you to be out in the open. So please, go back inside until I..."

Ember raised a brow at him and the halfa corrected himself.

"...I mean we take care of the situation."

Slowly but surely, the crowd made their way back to their homes and such.

"You've got a lot of pull with them huh?" observed the pop princess.

"One of the few upsides of being a hero," shrugged Danny. "You know you could too if you..."

"Not happening."

"It was worth a shot," chuckled the ghost boy. "Now, I better go see if my mom and dad are ok. They probably have the ghost shield up for all I know."

The halfa flew away followed by Ember close behind. A minute later over the part of the town where Danny's home was, Danny stopped cold in his tracks.

"My... home..."

Ember stopped to his side and her eyes had widened at the scene.

What Danny could see clear as day was the spot where the Fenton household used to reside. There was an empty lot filled with lots of debris, destroyed household items, and ruined lab equipment. Without thinking, Danny landed in the middle of it all with his mouth slightly open. His heart beat heavily against his chest as he surveyed the scene.

"Mom! Dad!" called teen hero. "Are you here?!"

Danny went down to where the lab was and no one was there. Not even the Ghost Portal.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you!?"

The halfa fell to his knees. Ember watched from the sky and didn't know what to say. She didn't even know if it was right for her to be watching him breakdown like this.

"MOM! DAD! SAY SOMETHING!"

A dark thought crawled into Danny's mind as he fell on all fours. Then tears came dripping to the floor.

"Don't tell me he..."

He winced at the thought and couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence.

"He didn't," answered a voice from behind.

"Shadow?" blinked Danny after turning around and seeing the dark grey ghost floating there.

"He didn't kill them."

Danny stood up immediately and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then where...?"

"The Fright Knight locked them up in one of his dungeons. Don't worry. They're not hurt or anything."

"And you couldn't tell me this... nevermind. Doors. I get it."

The halfa wiped his eyes dry and got serious.

"You catch on quick," stated Shadow.

Ember landed and asked, "Everything good down here?"

"Yeah," answered Danny.

She looked him in the eyes for a few seconds and said, "Good. Can't have your head out of the game before its even started."

The halfa nodded and shifted his attention to Shadow before asking, "So, any idea when they'll show up?"

"They should be here any second," responded the dark grey ghost.

"Good. I'm ready to kick some butt."

"You're not the only one," chimed in the pop princess.

Then the trio heard the neighing of a horse.

"That's our cue," said Shadow.


	33. He Has An Army, We Have A Kitty

The three flew out of what was left of the Fenton Lab and made their way to meet the Fright Knight with his army. The spirit of Halloween at the front of the pack caught sight of them and raised a fist. His troops stopped immediately.

"The whelp Danny Phantom and the songstress Ember," observed the Fright Knight. "Have you come to pledge your loyalty to the master?"

"Yeah," answered Ember.

"You have?" asked the knight raising his brows beneath his helmet.

"No."

A glare was shot from the spirit of Halloween. Then he spotted the third ghost before him and said, "I know of these two, but you I do not recognize. What is your allegiance?"

"I'm with Inviso Bill and Sister Torch," answered Shadow pointing at his partners.

Danny and Ember turned to look at Shadow with heated stares.

"Focus guys. You can always get me later."

Reluctantly, they turned away from Shadow.

"Very well," accepted the spirit of Halloween. "You shall all perish in the name of Lord Dan."

The Fright Knight beckoned his hand straight and his army flew towards them like a flock of birds going south for the winter.

"I bet I can take out more of these guys than both of you," wagered the dark grey ghost as his hands charged up ecto energy.

"Says you," said Ember adjusting the setting of her guitar after pulling it out.

"You're on," replied the halfa channeling his ice powers through his arms.

And all at once our three heroes(technically 1 hero, 1 neutral, and 1 bad girl) attacked. On the first attack, Shadow's concentrated beam of firepower took out a line of at least 15 ghosts, Ember's sound wave wiped out around 11. Danny's Ice Ray froze around 6.

"Come on Danny," taunted Shadow. "You're behind me and Ember by a mile."

Shadow took out another line as the Fright Knight's army swung swords, tossed spears, and launched arrows in their direction.

"For now," said the teen hero flying around to avoid being hit before gathering ecto energy into a ball and throwing it like a baseball. Upon colliding with a skeleton soldier, an explosion ensued taking out 20.

"Me and my big mouth..." uttered the dark grey ghost before thinking, "(If I had one.)"

"Got that right!" agreed the pop princess while unleashing a double fist beam from her guitar taking out around 2 dozen soldiers.

"Whoops. I'm falling behind."

The Fright Knight watched over time as the number of his army decreased. However he was not concerned over that. Why? Because Danny, Ember, and Shadow seemed to be slowing down while not even close to half of his troops were defeated. Danny punched a skeleton soldier's head clean off but the body swung its sword and nicked him on the shoulder. The halfa backed away as a reaction and used his eyes to freeze the body before it fell down to the ground below. Ember growled as a soldier managed to wrap its arms around her from behind.

"Grr!" growled Ember. "Let go of me...!"

The pop princess' body changed to blue fire as she clenched her fists and the ghost holding her was seared to a crisp. She broke away and dusted off her soldiers while returning to normal.

Shadow's arms were being held by two ghosts as a third aimed a flaming arrow from not too far away. The archer let it fly.

"Oh boy..." gulped the dark grey ghost.

Just before it could hit him, Ember got in the way and blocked the arrow with the back of her guitar. Then she flew at the archer and used her instrument to take out the soldier with a heavy swing. When she turned around, the pop princess witnessed Shadow rotating fast thus causing the skeleton soldiers that were holding on to him to fall apart. Shadow stopped his actions and pulled two skeleton hands from his wrists before tossing them aside.

"I didn't know you cared so much."

"Don't take it the wrong way," said the ghost diva. "I was just returning the favor for you training me. Now we're even."

Shadow looked past Ember and fired a ghost ray. It zoomed by her head and took out the skeleton who was trying to ambush her. The pop princess heard the blast connect and looked back.

"You were saying?" asked Shadow with a raised brow.

"I hate you so much..." mumbled Ember after looking at him with an annoyed stare.

"Fools!" boomed the Fright Knight. "You cannot hope to win!"

The three turned their attention to the Fright Knight.

"I admit that you three are quite formidable."

More important than him, Danny, Ember, and Shadow suddenly found themselves surrounded in all directions by the army with no way out. So they formed a triangle to watch each other's backs.

"However, as formidable as you all are, you cannot hope to prevail against our numbers."

"Who says we were trying to prevail?" asked Shadow.

"Hm?"

"We're just buying time buckethead," stated Ember.

"For what exactly?"

"Let's just say you're not the only one who was an army," smirked the halfa of the trio.

"What?"

Before the knight could think anymore on their words, a certain goth girl's voice asked, "Did somebody call for backup?"

The Fright Knight turned and saw hundreds of ghosts hovering there. Some of which included Frostbite, Skulker, Walker, Spectra, Kitty, and Dorathea in dragon form. Sam and Tucker were riding atop a floating vehicle in front of them all.

"Because we brought backup."

Tucker pointed forward and bellowed loudly, "CHARGE!"

All at once, this unified army consisting of many ghosts from different realms came at the Fright Knight's soldiers. Danny, Ember, and Shadow took advantage of the opportunity to blast their way out of their jam to land on the ground below. Sam and Tucker joined them seconds later.

"What took you guys so long?" asked Danny. "We were almost toast there."

"Speak for yourself," said Ember folding her arms.

"You know its not easy gathering an army in a short of amount of time," explained Sam.

"We had to meet up with Spectra and Kitty's group before we could find our way out here" added Tucker.

The 5 heard a roar and looked up just in time to see Dorathea incinerate some skeleton soldiers with her dragon fire.

"That's gotta hurt," winced the goth girl.

Skulker held up a fist with a devilish grin and out of his gauntlet protruded a long blade. Then he sliced through skeletons like a knife through butter.

"Skulker really knows how to use that thing huh?" uttered the halfa.

"They don't call him the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter for nothing," stated the pop diva.

"I can see why he's your boyfriend. You two really know how to use your instruments."

"Got that right," smirked Ember proudly at the complement.

Sam and Tucker brought their heads down before looking at Ember in astonishment.

"You and Skulker?!" blinked Sam in shock.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend?!" gaped the Tucker.

Ember rolled her eyes and ignored the stares but answered anyway with, "Yep."

"Lookout Great One!" shouted a Yeti from above.

Danny's group moved out of the way as frozen Skeletons crashed to the ground and shattered to pieces. When they noticed no more coming their way, Sam said, "So that's the real reason why Danny got jumped yesterday."

"What?" responded Ember raising a brow.

"Your boyfriend and Johnny 13 beat up Danny at school," explained the techno geek. "Because Skulker thought that Danny was trying to put the moves on you."

"Is that true?" asked the pop princess shifting her attention to Danny.

"Yeah," answered the teen hero.

"How come you didn't say anything?"

"Because its kinda my fault," started the ghost boy rubbing the back of his neck. "When I stopped by your place that morning, I dropped the note."

"You mean when I..."

"Yeah.

"Oh..."

"Sometime later after that, Skulker found it and... you know the rest. But its water under the bridge and Dan is the issue now."

Danny focused on the airborne battle again but Ember kept her eyes on him for a few more seconds.

"(That's just great.)" thought the flame haired ghost. "(Now I gotta go rip Skulker a new one later. Its the least I can do to pay babypop back.)"

Her gaze returned to the fight when she was done thinking.

The Fright Knight watched from on high while riding his flying steed. His army's numbers were dwindling dramatically by the second.

"(This does not bode well.)" mused the spirit of Halloween. "(Perhaps it would be wise for me to join the fray.)"

"Hey!" called a feminine voice from the side.

A blue ecto blast came at the Fright Knight but his horse managed to fly out of the way of the surprise attack. As soon as the ghost of Halloween turned his head, another two ecto blasts came at him. He dodged the first but the second knocked him off his ride. After he managed to right himself in the air, the biker babe with glowing fists asked, "What did you do with my Johnny?"

"I sent him to a place where he would witness all his worst fears come to life," answered the Fright Knight."

"Give him back to me this instant!"

"The Fright Knight does not take orders from a wench!" declared the spirit of Halloween drawing his Soul Shredder.

He flew at her and aimed to slice her down the middle. Too bad for him that he never heard the expression 'The Ghost Zone hath no fury like a Kitty scorned' because she caught his blade with glowing hands overhead. The spirit of Halloween was stunned before Kitty pulled and tossed him down below to the streets of Amity. He crashed creating a massive crater. Kitty flew down at him full speed and drove her heels into the middle of his stomach.

"OOF!"

The biker babe flew out of the hole and landed a few feet away.

Danny, Shadow, Ember, Sam, and Tucker saw what she had done.

"Did she just... take down the Fright Knight?" blinked Sam.

"Uh-huh..." uttered Tucker.

"Remind me to never get on her bad side," remarked Danny.

"Give Johnny back or there will be more where that came from!" threatened Kitty.

"Foolish wench," said the Fright Knight rising to his feet inside of the crater that he was in. "Did you honestly believe that you could force me to give in to your demand after such a feeble assault?"

Without warning, the spirit of Halloween stabbed his sword into the ground and it unleashed a terrible storm overhead with high winds and radical lightning. Kitty's anger had died like the flame of a candle being blown away.

"Witness the ultimate terror. My Ecto Storm!"


	34. Knightmare Undone

Lightning struck all around creating an untold number of ghostly monsters.

"Break's over guys," signaled Shadow.

Danny turned to his friends before saying, "Sam, Tucker. You guys should get out of here."

"I got that covered."

Shadow grabbed Sam and Tucker before flying off.

Right after, the Fright Knight pulled his sword out of the ground and pointed it at Kitty before ordering, "Vanquish all those who would dare oppose Lord Dan my creations!"

The monsters roared as they charged for Kitty.

"Not good...!" swallowed the biker babe taking a step back as a lion like creature pounced.

"Hands off!" shouted Ember.

After hearing music, Kitty saw the creature being blasted backwards. She turned with a smile as the pop princess made her way over.

"Thanks Em," smiled the green haired ghost. "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it," said the pop princess. "Now lets kick some butt."

"Not without me," interjected Spectra right before landing next to them.

"I thought you wanted to stick with the boneheads?" questioned Kitty.

"There's little to no point. The rest of the army almost has them underwraps."

Spectra transformed to her darker menacing form with no legs.

"Ready Divas of Disaster?"

Kitty nodded while Ember rolled her eyes with a smile. Then the three went after all the monsters in the surrounding area. Spectra ripped lines of monsters in half with glowing green hands as Kitty and Ember stood back to back blasting any that came into their line of vision.

While they were busy handling monsters, Danny approached the Fright Knight and said, "Looks like its just you and me bucket head."

"So it seems," agreed the Fright Knight. "Prepare to taste defeat! Hra!"

The ghost of Halloween swung his sword at the halfa, but Danny was ready for the attack. He flew backwards and fired a ghost ray. The Fright Knight was also ready as he deflected the blast by swinging his sword again before firing purple beams from his eyes. Danny was hit and crashed into the side of a building.

"Ugh!" groaned the ghost boy.

After landing on all fours, he looked up. The spirit of Halloween was flying towards him at full speed. Thinking quickly, Danny turned intangible before phasing underground which made the Fright Knight stop on a dime. While underground, Danny thought with glowing green fists, "(I'd hate to rip off another popular franchise but...)"

Surfacing moments after the teen hero shouted, "Phantom Uppercut!"

"AGH!" exclaimed the Fright Knight after taking the full force of the attack and was now soaring upward because of it. It took him nearly five seconds to stop his ascent and shake it off. "You will pay for that whelp!"

"Oh yeah?" said Danny flying after him. "I'd like to see you try!"

While this was going on, Ember managed to take out many more ghosts with a lightning blast. Then she looked up and saw Danny's battle with the Fright Knight. The latter shot out blasts from his sword. Danny moved to the side out of the way and fired a cold ray from his eyes. The spirit of Halloween took the hit and was froze from top to bottom. But not for long as he shattered the ice with a loud battle roar seconds after. Danny's eyes had widened and he had stopped. Then he became serious again and said, "Looks like I'm gonna have to be creative."

Concentrating, the halfa split into three and came at the Fright Knight. Though the armored knight was undaunted and flew at the three.

"(That's just great.)" thought Ember. "(Phantom gets all the fun while we do the annoying work.)"

The Fright Knight managed to grab one Danny by the neck and pointed his sword at another before firing an ecto blast. His attack connected and at the moment, the third Danny was coming at the knight from behind. The spirit of Halloween turned and chucked the Danny he had in his clutches at the one who was trying to attempt a sneak attack. The two Dannys crashed into each other before popping out of existence.

"(Ok. Maybe the word fun is stretching it a bit.)"

The last Danny standing, who had recovered from the sword blast called out to the Fright Knight from above with, "Hey Dork Knight!"

The spirit of Halloween turned and looked up to see Danny not too many yards away.

"Lets see how you handle this!"

The halfa sucked in some air before unleashing his most devastating move.

"UUUUUUUUWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!" cried the Fright Knight taking the full brunt of Danny's ghostly wail. Seconds after he crashed into a building.

"(Note to self.)" thought the pop princess. "(Never be on the receiving end of that attack.)"

Danny flew to the building that the Fright Knight crashed into. As soon as he landed inside the toy store, Danny saw the spirit of Halloween on the floor groaning in pain. Seeing that was his cue, the halfa pulled out his Fenton Thermos and sucked the Fright Knight inside. Right after he sighed in relief.

Outside, the Fright Knight's Ecto Storm had ceased and all the monsters that were created because of it turned into what they were before.

"Looks like the storm is over," observed Spectra.

"And that's not all," started Kitty. "Those soldiers are disappearing."

The Diva's of Disaster witnessed the Fright Knight's troops vanishing in groups until none was left over.

"Everything seems to be back to normal, but why is the town still in the Ghost Zone?" questioned the misery glutton.

"And where's Johnny?" asked biker babe.

"Right behind you Kitten," answered a male's voice from behind.

Kitty turned at the sound and beamed, "Johnny!"

She flung her arms around him and kissed him repeatedly all over the face.

"That's one mystery solved," muttered Spectra.

The ghostly alliance cheered loud as Danny came flying back. Well not all of them. The ones who hated Danny with a passion simply kept silent. When he met up with Frostbite, the Yeti placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled with a nod. Danny smiled right back and nodded too.

Then Pandora came flying over to him and said, "It appears that I owe you a debt of gratitude ghost child."

"For what?" asked Danny.

"For freeing me from that nightmarish dimension that horrid knight sent me too."

"Oh. Well you're welcome."

"If there's anything I can do for you in the future, do not hesitate to stop by my realm and ask ok?"

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Well isn't this a sight for sore eyes," hissed a sinister voice from not too far away.

The ghost alliance shifted their gaze and saw the one responsible for turning the Ghost Zone upside down.


	35. Float Into My Office

As soon as Danny heard the voice, his ecto-blood ran cold. And it wasn't just him. Skulker, Ember, and Spectra recognized the voice of Dan Phantom before spotting him hovering with his cape flapping in the wind alongside the soul piercing glare of his eyes. After glancing around at all those in the area, Dan said, "Hello Daniel. I see you've made lots of friends in the last two years.

"They're not all my friends," corrected Danny. "Most of them just hate you and decided to fight together with me to stop your army from taking over the Ghost Zone."

"Not surprising. They'd do just about anything to save their own hide."

"Skulker needs no help!" declared the ghostly hunter. "I'm perfectly capable of taking you down on my own!"

"You're out of your league blob boy. Go scurry on to your little island before I eat you for breakfast."

Growling out of anger, Skulker charged for Dan.

"Skulker! Don't!" shouted the halfa.

Skulker ignored the warning and went straight for his target.

"Fool," uttered Dan before splitting into two and putting some distance between his two halves.

Skulker halted temporarily but long enough for the evil ghost from the future to blast him from opposite sides with powerful ghost rays.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" cried Skulker.

"Hahahaha!" laughed the two Dans.

When he(or they?) was done, Skulker fell to the ground and crashed hard. Spectra, Johnny, and Kitty became nervous seeing the smoking pile of metal that was Skulker defeated.

Dan looked all around at the other ghosts before asking, "Anybody else want some too or would you like to leave before you end up like him?"

"You don't have to tell me twice," sweatdropped Spectra before flying off.

Right behind the misery leech, many other ghosts flew off.

"C'mon Kitten," said Johnny. "We should get out of here too."

"You coming Em?" asked Kitty looking to her friend with concern.

"You go ahead," responded Ember. "I'm sticking around."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. But take Skulker with you. I don't want him getting in the way."

"Ok. Johnny."

Johnny 13 hoisted Skulker up and put his arm around his neck. Then he and Kitty flew off.

"I can sense great evil coming from that fellow," said Frostbite sweatdropping.

"Like I give two cents about how evil that punk is," replied Walker glaring at Dan. "He's gonna see the inside of a cell when I'm done with him."

"Walker, Frostbite," called Danny. "You guys should go."

"Are you certain great one?" asked the leader of the Far Frozen.

"I don't take orders from you punk," said Walker.

"I'm sure," nodded the ghost boy towards the Yeti before shifting his attention to Walker. "It's not an order. I'm asking you to let me handle this."

Walker and Danny stared each other in the eyes for a few seconds.

"Fine," said the ghostly warden. "But if you fail, he's all mine ya hear?"

Danny smirked before saying, "Thanks."

Walker left followed by Frostbite and his Yetis(with or without the s?).

When they were out of sight, Ember joined Danny in the air. Dan noticed and asked, "Haven't learned your lesson the last time we met Mclain?"

"I'm not going anywhere," scowled the pop princess folding her arms.

"I've been expecting you to show up eventually younger me," stated the evil ghost from the future after shifting his attention back to Danny.

"You have?" blinked Danny.

"Yes. I knew that you would defeat weather boy and mulch head. And I knew you would find a way into the Ghost Zone with or without a Fenton Portal at your disposal."

"But how?"

"If experience has taught me anything its that when an obstacle gets in our way we either find a way around it, over it, or through it."

"So you knew I was coming. Why bother trying to keep me out of the Ghost Zone? Why bother destroying my house and the Fenton Portal if you knew I'd get here anyway?"

"Simple. Its because I wanted your full attention so that you'd hear me out when we finally met."

"You went through all this so I would hear you out?"

"That's right."

"Ok... then what do you have to say?"

"I would like to bury the hatchet between us."

Eyes widening slightly, Danny was left stunned. And not just him. Even Ember was caught off guard.

"By bury the hatchet you mean..." started the teen hero.

"Settle our differences so that we're no longer enemies," explained Dan.

"Is this some kind of trick?"

"Its not."

"Why?"

"Why am I proposing a truce?"

Danny nodded.

"Because there's no reason for us to be at each other's throats anymore. I exist outside of time now. Therefore, I no longer have to rely on you going dark to stay around."

"So you don't want revenge or anything?" asked the ghost boy.

"I admit, for the first few months that I was trapped within the confines of the Fenton Thermos, I wanted to tear you apart limb from limb. After that however, I had an epiphany. Why should I get mad at you? You were only doing what I would have done. After all, you are my younger self. So there was no reason to take out my anger on you. At least not anymore."

"But Clockwork deserved it huh?"

"Him among others ghosts that were and still are my enemies."

"That includes me right?" asked Ember.

"Yes. That includes you. But not to the same degree as Clockwork. Which is one of the reasons why I left you whole after our battle. You're welcome by the way."

Ember's hair flared a bit.

"Let's say I believe you," said Danny. "What kind of truce would we have?"

"Simple," started Dan before explaining, "I leave you alone and you leave me alone. I stay out of your business and you stay out of mine."

"What about my town and my parents?"

"You can have them back. If you agree to the deal."

Danny thought long and hard before asking, "And if I say yes, what are you gonna do after that? Ruin the world again?"

"I have no interest in repeating that past mistake. I have something else in mind that is much more lucrative."

"And that would be?"

"Becoming the king of all ghosts."

Danny and Ember were caught off guard for the second time.

"King of all ghosts?!" repeated a perplexed pop princess.

"You want to be the Ghost King?!" gaped the ghost boy.

"Yes," answered Dan.

"That's crazy! There's no way I'm gonna let you do that!"

"Why not? Its not like I would use that position to hurt you or anything. At best I'd make the Ghost Zone submit to me. Why else do you think I left Earth alone? Because I know how much you care about humans. And besides, ghosts aren't worth much to you anyway."

"You don't understand me at all! I care about both humans and ghosts! No one group is more important than the other so you can forget it!"

"(He cares about ghosts too?)" thought the confused Ember while eyeing Danny.

"That includes your enemies?" questioned Dan.

Danny nodded.

Skeptical, Dan raised a brow before pressing his younger half with, "Are you serious? You care about your enemies? The same enemies who tried to waste you over and over again? That made your life a living hell? The ones who refuse to show appreciation for what you've done for them? The ghosts who don't care if you have time to study or get enough sleep at night? Ones like her?"

Dan pointed at Ember who looked away feeling ashamed at his words.

"Especially ones like her," reaffirmed the teen hero.

Not expecting him to admit something like that, the pop princess blushed.

"Hahahaha!" laughed the evil ghost from the future. "You've grown softer than I've realized!"

"No," responded Danny which made Dan stop laughing. "I'm just not as heartless as you."

Dan became serious and said, "Maybe you're right. I might be heartless, but its not entirely my fault now is it?"

Now it was Danny's turn to look away. Though it didn't last long before he focused on Dan again.

"You know," started the ghost boy. "Its not too late for you to stop what you're doing and change."

"Save the conversion speech for Sunday School and someone who cares," replied Dan as his fist glowed green followed by firing a ghost ray at Danny with one. The halfa was hit in the chest and was sent flying backwards.

"Agh!" cried Danny.

Ember got ready at a moment's notice by backing away; putting some distance between the two of them before pulling out her guitar. Then she fired a fist beam with a strum of her cords. Dan divided himself into four Dans avoiding the attack. Then they rushed at her. Ember immediately channeled some energy into her guitar and unleashed a wide sound wave. All four Dans laughed at the action before turning their bodies into green smog. But Ember smirked as she put her guitar away and extended her hands out. A huge upside down tornado manifested around all the four Dans which sucked up their smog forms. Though satisfied with the move, Ember was only getting started. She pulled out her instrument again and changed the setting. While concentrating power into the instrument, she thought, "(You're gonna get a full dose this time Future Dipstick.)"

When the pop princess was ready, she shot out a blue fire beam at the tornado. As soon as the attack made contact with the tornado, it mixed with the ghostly vortex and it seared Dan with its never before seen twisting blue heat.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!" cried the evil ghost from the future.

Danny came flying back to the scene and saw what was going on. Then he looked to Ember and said, "I didn't know you could do that."

"There's a lot of things about me you don't know babypop," smirked the pop princess.

Danny eyed her closely before thinking, "(Now that I think about it, Ember does seem like she's changed a lot lately. And its not just the coat or the hair. Its like she's grown as a person.)"

The pop princess noticed him staring for too long and asked, "Something catch your eye babypop?"

"Oh uh..." stammered the ghost boy looking away as he scratched the side of his head. "Sorry."

"GRAAAA!" shouted Dan.

The duo shifted their focus to the flaring ecto tornado. Inside of it, the evil ghost from the future growled in anger before twisting his body really fast. This disrupted Ember's attack after a few seconds cancelling it altogether. Dan's body sizzled as he glared daggers at the pop princess. Also, his duplicates were no longer present.

"(Even though I put a lot of power into that attack he barely seems hurt by it.)" sweatdropped Ember while thinking.

* * *

Will Danny and Ember come out on top? Or is Dan's name just 'and' rearranged? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z! Oh wait... wrong fandom.


	36. Survival Of The Spookiest

Meanwhile with Shadow, Tucker, and Sam. The three managed to arrive at Pariah's Keep and flew inside.

"The home of the Fright Knight?" observed Tucker.

"Why are we here Shadow?" asked Sam.

"Danny's parents are in the dungeon and we need to get them out," answered Shadow.

"How did that happen?" questioned the techno geek.

"As soon as Amity Park was transferred to the Ghost Zone, they ran into Dan and he told the Fright Knight to lock them up."

"Not that I'm complaining but how come he didn't try to waste them like last time?" asked the goth girl.

"Because he didn't need to. Last time, he wanted them gone because he wanted to ensure his own survival. Now is not the case."

"What do you mean?" questioned the mayor of Amity Park.

"When Dan was captured by Danny via the Fenton Thermos, Clockwork became responsible for him. And since Clockwork is responsible for Dan, he exists outside of time. And since Dan exists outside of time..."

"He doesn't need Danny to go dark anymore," finished Sam.

"I knew there was a smart young woman in there somewhere."

Sam blushed at the compliment, but not for too long. After going down a passageway midway, two ghostly skeleton guards at the end of the hall standing on opposite sides of a large door spotted them. One carried a large axe and the other held a sword.

"Uh-oh!" sweatdropped the goth girl.

"We've got company...!" swallowed Tucker.

"I think we should go say hi to them," suggested Shadow.

"What?!" exclaimed Sam.

"Are you nuts?!" fidgeted the techno geek.

Shadow carried his frightened passengers all the way to the end of the hall and dropped the two before the skeletons who glared at them.

"Um... hey?" smiled the shaking human girl.

"How's it uh... going?" greeted the frightened teen mayor.

The skeletons raised their weapons and were about to strike the two. Sam and Tucker swallowed in anticipation for what would follow next until Shadow commanded, "In the name of Lord Dan, I command you to stand down."

The skeletons halted their actions before their weapons had a chance to cleave the humans in two. The two guards eyed each other for a second and nodded before positioning themselves on opposite sides of the door.

"What just happened?" blinked Sam in confusion.

"And how are we still alive?" asked Tucker.

"Since the Fright Knight takes orders from Dan," started Shadow. "I figured his minions wouldn't dare crossing him. So I took a shot in the dark."

"A shot in the dark?!" glared the goth girl. "You could have got us killed!"

"That's so not cool man!" stated the techno geek.

"Even if it didn't work I would have turned them into ecto dust before they hurt you," stated the dark grey ghost as he approached the door before twisting the handle and pushing it open. Sam and Tucker followed warily behind him while keeping an eye on the guards.

As soon as Shadow entered inside, the sound of Maddie Fenton's voice could be heard demanding, "Let us out of here this instant you wretched ghost!"

"Yeah!" agreed Jack. "What she said!"

"Sure," said Shadow grabbing the lone skeleton key dangling off a hook protruding from the wall before motioning towards the cell. The ghost hunters eyed the grey ghost with skepticism. The dark grey ghost inserted the key into the hole, twisted it, and opened the cell door.

"What are you up to..." muttered the Fenton matriarch.

"Mister and misses Fenton?" called Sam.

The ghost hunters directed their attention to the goth girl and the mayor of Amity Park.

"Sam?!" exclaimed Maddie.

"Tucker?!" blinked Jack.

"What are you doing here?!" asked both Fentons.

"Shadow brought us here to bust you out," answered the goth girl.

"Who's Shadow?" question the woman in the blue jumpsuit.

"Right here," said the white haired ghost raising a hand.

"But you're a ghost," stated the man in the orange jumpsuit.

"And your son is half ghost but you don't see me bringing that up."

The Fenton Patriarch folded his arms feeling defeated before saying, "Good point."

"What I want to know is why are you helping us?" asked Maddie. "Are you one of Danny's friends?"

"You could say there's a particular foe we both have in common," responded Shadow. "The same who is responsible for putting you here."

"Enemy of my enemy huh?"

"Yep."

"And where is my son right now?"

"Battling his future self."

"He is?" interrupted Jack. "Is he winning? Is he doing the old one two like I taught him?"

Jack raised his dukes and punched the air twice. Shadow sweatdropped with narrowed eyes.

"Nevermind that Jack," stated the female Fenton. "We should hurry and go help him."

"No," said the dark grey ghost.

The group focused on Shadow.

"Why shouldn't we help Danny?" questioned the male Fenton.

"Because Danny can't afford to worry about your safety while fighting Dan all at once," explained Shadow.

"You expect us to sit here and do nothing while our son risks his life?" asked Maddie.

"I expect you to sit here while both your sons risk their lives."

Maddie and Jack exchanged grim looks with each other.

"Like it or not, Dan is your son too. Ignoring the fact he's from an alternate future and he's evil, he came about as result of Danny losing all the people in this room. (Which is why I'm going to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.)"

Shadow moved quickly out of the exit and closed the door. Everybody in the room gasped once they heard a locking sound. Sam was the first to bolt to the door and try to pull it open.

"Its locked... Ugh!" struggled the goth girl.

Jack clenched his fist in anger and declared, "I knew we couldn't trust that ghost!"

Outside the door, Shadow said to the guards, "Make sure they don't go anywhere ok?"

The guards saluted.

Shadow's hand glowed with ecto energy and he swiped it across door. Right after, a square shaped hole appeared so that he could see the inhabitants of the room and they in turn could see him. Sam's face was right on the other side looking hurt and confused.

"Why are you doing this Shadow?" asked the Manson teen.

"Sorry Sam," apologized the dark grey ghost. "But in order to keep my promise to you, I have to do this. I hope the next time we meet, you can forgive for what I'm about to do."

"What are you..."

Without letting her finish her question, Shadow closed the hole by waving his hand again. Then he flew off.

Meanwhile...

"Agh!" groaned Dan taking a ghost ray to the face courtesy of Danny. While temporarily stunned by the action, Ember snuck up behind the ghost from the future and hit him full force with her guitar. "Ugh!"

Dan plunged downward and bounced off the paved street of Amity Park a couple of times before coming to a stop. Ember and Danny flew after him. Dan stood up from the ground full of fury and noticed them coming. His fists glowed green before he fired a flurry of ghost rays at them.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Danny before dodging a few by the skin of his teeth.

"Grr...!" grunted Ember dodging four before one skinned her shoulder tearing a hole in her coat. But that didn't stop her from advancing.

"(Just a little more...)" thought the evil ghost from the future before shouting, "There!"

When Danny and Ember got close enough, Dan punched hard into the ground with his glowing fist. The ground split in two before the mad ghost from the future. Danny and Ember stopped as green light erupted beneath them followed by ecto energy blasting them from the trenches.

"AAAAAGH!" cried the ghost boy and the pop princess.

The duo fell from the sky and crashed to the ground. They groaned covered in bruises and marks.

"That hurt..." groaned the teen hero.

"Speak to the... choir..." winced the flame haired musician.

"Hahaha!" laughed Dan.

The two picked their heads up just in time to see their opponent flying towards them.

"Ok... time for plan B," stated Danny slowly picking himself while Ember did the same with some difficulty as well.

"What's plan..." started the pop princess.

"UUUUUUUUWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" wailed the ghost boy after sucking in some air.

Dan's eyes widened as Danny's attack came and hit him full force driving him all the way down the street, farther than the eye could see. When the villain was out of sight, Danny fell to a knee as he reverted back to his human form. Ember looked him up and down half impressed by his attack and half intrigued that it made him change.

"So that's plan B?" she asked.

The halfa let out a sigh and said, "Yep."

"Too bad it failed," interrupted Dan.

Appearing in front of them with a sinister grin, Dan eyed his worn out prey. Ember and Danny stared at him in disbelief.

"No way...!" uttered the ghost boy with widened eyes.

"How did you...!?" blinked Ember.

"Recover from that Ghostly Wail so quickly?" chuckled the evil ghost from the future. "I didn't. Correction, my duplicate didn't."

Danny clenched his fists in an attempt to go ghost but nothing happened.

Dan saw and commented, "What's wrong? Out of power? Of course you are. Up until now you've fought an army and the Fright Knight. Throw in the fact that you've used the Ghostly Wail once before this last try and your well is bone dry."

"That might be true for him but I'm still standing!" declared the pop princess as she attempted to use her guitar again but Dan moved fast and grabbed the instrument by the neck. Then he channeled an electric current through it. "AAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Ember felt the full effect of Dan's ghost stinger while unable to loosen her grip.

"Stop!" shouted Danny as he aimed his hand and fired as ghost ray at his evil self from the side.

Unfortunately, Dan manipulated his body so the attack would pass through him and hit a nearby building.

"Ah ah ah," chided the evil ghost from the future. "Wait your turn Danny. She's just about had her fill."

Soon, Ember's eyes closed and her legs gave way. Then Dan let go as the pop princess collapsed unconscious.

Then he turned to Danny and asked, "Ready?"

The evil ghost from the future split into four before rushing the halfa. He delivered a flurry of power packed punches and kicks that no ordinary human could take.

"Agh! Ugh! Erg! Oof!" exclaimed the teen hero absorbing each blow.

"Hahaha... HAHAHAHA!" laughed Dan enjoying every sound that his opponent uttered.

But though Danny had ghost DNA, even he could not hold himself up for long. So the hero collapsed beaten to a pulp. Notwithstanding, he was barely conscious at the end of it as Dan and his duplicates joined into one.

"Ugh..." groaned Danny.

Then, Dan reached down and grabbed him by the hair before hoisting him up. As soon as Danny's feet were off the ground and he was face to face with his counterpart, the evil ghost from the future said, "Look at you. Its been two years and you're no more powerful than the last time we met. If it weren't for those Fenton weapons and catching me off guard with that Ghostly Wail, I wouldn't have lost to you."

"Sounds like..."

Dan waited for Danny to continue as the halfa's eyes came open.

"...you're a... sore loser."

After he finished, Danny used his ice powers to fire eye beams directly into Dan's pupils.

"GAAH!" hissed the evil ghost from the future in pain. "MY EYES!"

Dan dropped Danny instantly and clutched at his sockets. As he stumbled about, Ember rose to her feet.

"Hey Future Dipstick..." called the flame haired diva.

Dan uncovered his face with squinting eyes. He could barely make out the pop princess adjusting the setting on her instrument.

"You're not the only one who can bring the thunder!"

She strummed her cords and a lightning bolt zapped Dan blasting him far away.

"AGH!" shrieked Dan before crashing into a building.

Right after, Ember floated over to Danny.

"Bring the... thunder?" smiled the halfa as she approached.

"Cut me some slack," said the flame haired diva rolling her eyes as she grabbed him by the arm before helping him up. "It was the only thing I could think of on the spot."

When Danny was on his feet, he stumbled a bit but Ember managed to catch him by the arm in time.

"Geez, he really did a number on you. I'm surprised you're not dead."

"I'm half dead technically...!" chuckled the ghost boy but was cut short by the pain in his ribs.

"At least its not the side that counts."

"True."

"So, can you turn back into a ghost yet?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"I was afraid you might say that," frowned the pop princess in disappointment.

"Do my ears deceive me or did Ember Mclain admit she was afraid?"

"You know what I meant dipstick..." responded Ember with a roll of the eyes.

"Yeah. I know you'd never admit out loud that you were afraid. Not that I expect you to be scared of anything at all."

"Actually..."

Not expecting a response to his statement, Danny looked at her with eyes full of curiosity.

"I am scared of one thing."

"You are?" blinked the ghost boy.

The pop princess nodded.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Maybe when this over and after I kick your butt in our next fight I'll tell you," smirked Ember.

"Hey... that's not fair. You know you can't kick my butt in a fight."

"Says you," retorted the flame haired diva as her smirk disappeared.

"And history," smiled Danny proudly.

"Grr... Well history will be different this time around."

"Probably but I wouldn't count on it."

"Oh you smug little..."

"Uh-oh," uttered the ghost boy as his ghost sense went off. "I think he's..."

An explosion of ecto energy erupted from the building Dan crashed into. Flying into sky amidst the green display, Dan growled in anger looking down at the two. Though his outfit was torn in places including his cape. Even his hair was disrupted to an extent.

"He looks pissed."

"Good," said Ember. "Now he knows how I feel."

The two were waiting in anticipation for what their opponent was about to do next.

* * *

Author's Notes Below...

1\. One of the reasons why it took me so long to put out another chapter was because I wanted people to have a chance to catch up or reread.

2\. The next chapter will probably be posted within the next two days.

3\. I changed the cover for this fic.


	37. In The Red Zone

"(I need to finish these two off for good.)" thought Dan while Danny and Ember kept their eyes locked on him. "(I can't afford to take any more chances from here on out. Perhaps it would be best for me to pull out what I've been saving for later.) Daniel, Mclain. You two better say your prayers now or you won't have a chance down the road."

"We'll pass Future Dipstick," responded Ember.

"Suit yourself."

Dan reached behind his back and pulled out something.

"Is that...?!" started the ghost boy with widening eyes.

"The... Crown of Fire...!?" stammered the pop princess.

"It is," confirmed Dan making his hand intangible before sticking the crown into the midst of his body. Right after, his body and outfit were restored to peak condition as a flaming red aura surrounded his being. "Hehehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ember shook to her core and took a step back while sweatdropping. Danny was scared too but that didn't stop him from gathering the courage to transform back into his ghost half.

It took nearly two minutes for Dan to calm down. By then, his burning red fiery aura from before had dissipated and he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Now to complete the package," grinned Dan.

The evil ghost from the future closed his fist briefly allowing his hand to glow. When it died out, he opened it and there in the palm of his hand was...

"He has the Ring of Rage too?!" uttered Danny in disbelief. "But I thought that was locked up with the Ghost King!?"

"It was until I opened the coffin and took it from him," explained their adversary.

"You mean you..."

"I destroyed Pariah Dark after claiming the Crown of Fire."

"What?!" exclaimed Ember.

"But before that, I had to find the key to the coffin. Any guesses as to where I found it?"

Danny and Ember didn't answer.

"I'll give you a hint. They have an eyeball for a head."

"The Observants realm..." muttered the teen hero figuring it out.

"Yes. I went there and I'm sure you could figure out the rest."

Dan slipped the Ring of Rage onto his ring finger and felt power course through his ghostly veins. Fire surrounded him once more before lashing out with its own deafening roar. His costume minus the cape, boots, and gloves became composed of black flames and the logo on his chest was now blazing red. His skin was a darker shade of green than before. But that wasn't the scariest thing about his transformation. Dan's eyes took the cake because the whites of them were now black. Danny and Ember trembled through the process but not as much as when Dan locked his eyes on them. It was like the incarnation of evil itself was peering into their souls and freezing them to the core.

"Remember. I gave you a chance to avoid all this. Now you have to face the Ultimate Nightmare."

The two could barely register what Dan said before he aimed an open palm down at them. In the center of it radiated a dark red spark. Something in the back of Danny's mind told him to act fast before it was too late. Whether it was ghostly instinct or a sixth sense, he didn't know. The halfa moved to Ember fast and grabbed her by the wrist before flying up and away.

"What are you...!" started Ember.

The ghostly pop princess was interrupted as a powerful beam of dark red laser beat shot forth from Dan's hand carving a line all the way the street before setting the entire road ablaze with dark red flames. Ember saw it as Danny climbed to a higher altitude. When Danny was sure they were in a good enough position, he let her go.

"H-he's...!?"

"Yeah," swallowed Danny. "He's crazy strong."

"Crazy strong?! You mean insanely strong! I don't think we can beat him now!"

"That makes two of us."

Ember turned to look at the halfa who stared determinedly at their opponent before asking, "Any ideas?"

"Just one," responded the ghost boy after turning his head to look her in the eyes.

"I'm all ears."

"You go while I fight him."

"What?" blinked the pop princess.

"I'm not sure if this is a fight both of us will walk away from. I know I can't as long as he's around. But you, you don't have to be here. Dan's my problem. I'm the one responsible for all this."

"Are you crazy?!" glared the flame haired diva. "I am not leaving you to fight that freak alone! Besides, you're not the one who turned evil!"

"I know but it would have been me had it not been for Clockwork's intervention. Regardless of how things turned out, Dan became what he is because of Danny Fenton and there's no denying that."

"Yeah but..."

Before she could argue Danny turned his head forward and flew in Dan's direction. Dan saw him approaching and grinned. Ember watched as Danny's fists glowed before the halfa fired ghost ray after ghost ray at his target. Dan simply raised his fire aura which acted as shield against the attacks.

"(Should I go?)" thought Ember weighing her options. "(I mean, I don't want to but...)"

"Agh!" cried Danny after taking a punch from Dan and was sent flying backwards. But he regained control after 5 seconds before going at his evil self once more.

"(He's the hero. It's his job to take care of the bad guy. Not me. I'm just a musician who likes to rock and...)"

Danny channeled his ice powers into a fusion with natural energy overhead to form a giant swirling green and blue ball before sending it at Dan. Without much effort, Dan aimed his hand and cancelled out the attack with a blast of his own. The halfa was surprised at first but wouldn't give up. He concentrated creating 3 duplicates of himself and they all fired ghost rays, ice rays, eye beams, and power balls at Dan from all angles. But it did nothing against the fiery aura that protected Dan. The evil ghost from the future pretended to yawn before roaring. As he did, his aura pushed outward with a burst striking all four Dannys. The duplicates immediately popped out of existence.

"Ugh!" groaned the halfa flying a great distance away before being able to shake off that latest move from Dan.

"(Besides, he told me to go.)" reasoned the pop princess in her head. "(Its not like I was the one who brought it up or thought of it first. Ok. I'm definitely gonna go and let him handle the rest.)"

Though her mind was made up, Ember didn't budge. Instead, memories flooded through her brain and came to the front of her thoughts.

_[Memory 1]_

_In the next moment, Ember came from behind a supporting pillar with a hand placed on her hip._

_"Ember!" said the tense halfa before demanding, "What are you doing here?!"_

_"I could ask you the same thing babypop," responded the pop princess with a smirk._

_[Memory 2]_

_When the lasers were through, Danny collapsed to the ground. Then Ember came strolling over with a satisfied look of approval._

_"I'll take that," said the pop princess picking up the Fenton Thermos before aiming the container at the halfa._

_"I don't... understand," groaned the halfa._

_"Understand what?"_

_"How could the girl... Clockwork told me about... be you?"_

_Confused and curious, the pop princess asked, "What are you on about dipstick?"_

_The halfa picked his head up to get a good look at the ghostly diva before explaining, "He said that... a smart and talented teenage girl named Amber had high hopes of becoming a... big time rockstar. But she was also... nice and kind. In fact, she wouldn't even... hurt a fly. I just don't understand how... someone like that could end up as a sad, miserable, cold-hearted, attention hog of a ghost... like you."_

_Ember had both a look of anger and utter perplex written across her face._

_"I thought I understood you after... hearing how that girl died. There was a freak accident with stage equipment that... set her on fire. The worst thing about it was that it happened right before... her career ever got started. Then it started to make sense. You started to make sense. Taking over the world with music because... the world never heard her music."_

_"SHUT IT!" barked the raging diva. "YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT ME!"_

_[Memory 3]_

_"Geez, your aim is about as good as a Stormtrooper. Here let me show you how it's done!"_

_Danny fired several ghost rays at the Ghostly Diva but she managed to dodge them._

_"I could say the same about you dipstick!" spat back Ember. "I bet you couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if you were standing five inches away from it!"_

_She strummed her guitar cords and a wave of sound shot out. The halfa on reaction surrounded himself with a protective shield. Ember gasped in shock._

_"I think you need to chill out popsicle princess!" quipped the halfa._

_The ghost boy unleashed an ice beam that froze Ember cold in place. She ended up falling to the ground with a loud crash._

_[Memory 4]_

_Danny walked over and behind the pop princess before helping sit her up. Surprised by the sudden action, Ember stopping crying immediately and asked, "W-what are you doing?!"_

_"There you go," said the halfa before moving to sit down in front of her indian style. Then he asked, "So... what's wrong?"_

_"I don't need your charity!" stated the sad but angry Ember as she folded her arms before turning away with a humph. "Just suck me up into your soup container and be done with it!"_

_"Usually, I wouldn't hesitate to do so but you don't seem like the normal you and that bothers me."_

_She turned her head to glare at him before spatting, "And how would you know the normal me? You think that I'm just a sad, miserable, cold-hearted, attention hog of a ghost who wants to take over the world!"_

_"Ok... I totally deserved that but you're not exactly miss transparent," said Danny rubbing the back of his neck before adding, "Its kind of hard to see past the world domination side of you."_

_"Fair point," relented the pop princess as her face softened. Then she asked, "So... you asked what's wrong with me?"_

_"Yep."_

_"And you... genuinely want to know?"_

_"If it will help you feel better."_

_"Ok..." Ember said taking in a deep breath as she dried her eyes. Then she exhaled sharply before muttering low, "I'm jealous of you..."_

_"Come again?" asked the halfa raising a brow. "I couldn't..."_

_"I said I'm jealous of you ok!?" answered the pop princess a little louder and then ending with, "Now please don't make me repeat it again..."_

_"You're jealous... of me?"_

_Ember nodded without looking at him._

_"Why?"_

_"Why? You have everything a ghost like me could dream of. Fame, cool powers, people who care about you, and most of all..."_

_She looked at one of her hands._

_"...you're alive."_

_"Oh... I guess I do have all of those things huh?"_

_"It might not seem like much to you but for me, I'd kill for those qualities. Especially the alive part."_

_She sat there quiet not saying anything more. Danny decided to say something in return._

_"To tell you the truth," he said. "I don't think you should be jealous of me."_

_"Excuse me?" questioned Ember a little offended while giving the halfa a pointed look._

_"Most people who look at my life from the outside only see the good parts. They don't see the bad."_

_*Skipping ahead through their conversation*_

_Speaking low to herself, Ember muttered, "I was caught up in it like he said..."_

_"Huh? You say something?" asked Danny not catching what she was saying._

_"I... I'm feeling better now," replied the flame-haired ghost shaking her head a little._

_"Really?"_

_After folding her arms and looking away, the pop princess nodded and said, "Yeah. You can trap me in that thermos whenever you're ready."_

_Danny looked down at the thermos in his hand, then back to the ghostly pop princess._

_"I think I'll pass," said Danny standing up from the ground with a smile._

_Confused, Ember turned her head to look at him._

_"Just do me a small favor in return by staying out of trouble."_

_Without waiting for a reply, the ghost boy flew off._

_"He let me go?" blinked Ember._

_[Memory 5]_

_Coming out of the house on cue, Danny warned, "Whoever you are, we can do this the easy way or the thermos way. Your call."_

_Ember turned around to see him with an annoyed look plastered across her face and a hand placed on her hip._

_"You again? What do you want this time? If its a fight, I'll gladly..."_

_"Calm down dipstick," said Ember. "I'm not here to throw down."_

_She shook her head and frowned angrily._

_"Stupid rain..."_

_"Ok..." the halfa said before asking, "Then why are you here?_

_The flame haired ghost didn't answer._

_Danny folded his arms and said, "Well? I'm waiting."_

_"Let's talk inside," the pop princess said at last._

_*skipping ahead*_

_She crossed her feet and started playing her guitar while bobbing her head up and down. Not wanting to put up with the awkwardness of this uninvited guest, Danny quickly cut to the chase with, "Why are you here Ember?"_

_"Just needed a vacation."_

_"And you couldn't do that in another place? You know, like somewhere in the Ghost Zone?"_

_"Not really."_

_"You do realize that we're enemies right?"_

_"Last time I checked."_

_"I could also suck you into the thermos I'm holding."_

_"By all means," responded Ember with a shrug after glancing at it._

_"And you realize I could send you back to the Ghost Zone whenever I felt like it."_

_"Actually, you can't."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because I overheard your parents saying that they shut it down until the power was back up and running."_

_"Really?" asked the halfa with raised brows._

_The ghostly diva nodded and said, "Really."_

_"Oh... well then... soooooo..." said Danny rubbing the back of his neck. "You're not going to... attack anybody?_

_"Not unless provoked."_

_"And how are you doing by the way?"_

_"Fine. And you?"_

_"Good. Just... good."_

_[Memory 6]_

_Danny came over and handed her the plate with the crust cut off. Then he gave her a soda. She looked at the food with an eyebrow raised._

_"You cut the crust off?"_

_"Yeah," answered Danny. "You don't like it?_

_"Actually, I like it this way. What made you do it?"_

_The halfa blinked twice and said, "Call it a sixth sense."_

_The flame haired ghost began eating one of her sandwiches and then she took a swig of her drink._

_"(No way... Shadow couldn't have...)"_

_Shaking his head, Danny moved to sit down on the floor next to the bed and picked up the controller. After mashing the start button, his reign of undead terror began once more. As Ember ate, she glanced at the game on the screen._

_"I see you like Green Undead Remission," commented Ember._

_"Are you kidding?" replied Danny with a raised brow. "It's one of the best games of this century. Who couldn't possibly like it?"_

_"Its hard not to. The gore, mayhem, and violence is second to none."_

_Danny blinked after hearing her say that last sentence. It was almost like she took the words right of his mouth._

_"You talk like you're a big fan of this game," said Danny._

_"I am," responded Ember. "I bought a copy when it first came out."_

_"You... bought this game?" asked the halfa after pausing the game to look at her skeptically._

_"Yeah," answered the pop princess._

_"Like went into the store and purchased it?"_

_"No. I ordered it online like everybody else in the Ghost Zone."_

_"What? Ghosts can do that?"_

_"Technus does his thing and we give him the cash. Plus a little tip for services rendered but that's paying the piper."_

_"You mean to tell me that all I had to do was pay Technus of all people to order it for me?!" said Danny facepalming. "I feel so stupid!"_

_"I thought you two were enemies?" asked Ember while eyeing him like he was crazy._

_"Oh... right..."_

_[Memory 7]_

_"So the house is free and clear?" asked Ember._

_"Yep," answered Danny._

_"Good."_

_Ember jumped up off the bed and readied her guitar._

_"Uh... what are you doing?" questioned the teen hero._

_"About to practice the song I wrote," responded the flame haired ghost. "Couldn't do it earlier because of obvious reasons."_

_"Must you?"_

_"Unless you want me to occupy my free time by kicking your butt then yeah."_

_Looking at her like she was insane, Danny asked, "So its either violence or music?"_

_"Take your pick babypop. Either way is fine by me."_

_The halfa teen let out an exasperated sigh and tossed a hand up lazily giving her the signal before saying, "You win. Music it is."_

_Ember smirked proudly and from there she carried out her jamming practice after moving to the side._

_*later during that memory*_

_"I knew it! You were making noises! And don't try to deny it because I was watching you the whole time!"_

_"You caught me," admitted the teen hero before sniffing again as the controller in his hand dropped to the floor along with a single teardrop. "No use in trying to... to..."_

_Danny's head fell between his legs and he sniffed once more._

_"...lie...!"_

_The halfa closed his eyes tight trying to fight back the tears._

_"What's wrong with you?" asked Ember._

_"It's nothing you should... worry about," said Danny. "It's my problem not... yours."_

_The ghostly diva's face hardened and she demanded, "If you're going to cry while I'm practicing then it is my problem so spill it."_

_"We're enemies. It wouldn't be right if I... HEY!?"_

_The ghostly diva came over and lifted him up by the shirt with one hand before tossing him onto the bed. Staring him directly in the eyes, she threatened, "Tell me now or else I'll make you with some mind control."_

_Staring back at her in shock for a few seconds, Danny eventually conceded and said, "Ok, I'll talk. Sam... broke up with me."_

_"You mean that goth chick you hang around?"_

_Danny nodded solemnly._

_"(Had a feeling those two would end up together.) When did that happen? The breakup I mean."_

_"Remember when you followed me to Clockwork's place?"_

_"Don't remind me," said the pop princess folding her arms now feeling annoyed._

_"Well it happened earlier that day right after school was over."_

_"You seemed fine last time I checked and up til this point so what gives? Why the sudden waterworks now?"_

_"I was fine but that song of yours... it reminded me of the times we spent together... and how I... we..."_

_Danny looked down from Ember without finishing. Then the flame haired ghost placed a hand on her hip as she thought, "(Who would have thought all it took to bring dipstick down was a breakup and a song.)"_

_"But nevermind that," said the halfa wiping his eyes dry before looking at her confidently with a smile. "You keep practicing. Don't stop on my account."_

_"Are you sure? I don't want to hear you crying like a little girl again. Not unless I'm blasting you into the next century."_

_"I'm sure," chuckled Danny._

_Ember pointed with two of her fingers to her eyes and directed those fingers to him as she warned, "Alright, but I'm keeping my eye on you babypop."_

_Danny placed his hands flat against his cheeks and replied dramatically, "Oh no! I'm so scared!"_

_The flame haired diva rolled her eyes and then started practicing once more. This time around, the halfa kept his word like he said he would._

_[Memory 8]_

_"What was that for!?"_

_"I'm not a threat but a sidekick?" said the pop princess. "No way was I gonna let that slide."_

_"Fair enough..."_

_She tossed the pillow onto the bed and stated, "Oh no. You're not getting off that easy."_

_The ghostly diva proceeded to grab Danny by the shirt and dragged him upward through the ceiling to outside in the rain above his house._

_"WHOA!" cried the halfa before Ember had tossed him away. The teen quickly transformed and floated across from her. "Hey! I thought you said we had a truce!?"_

_"We still do babypop," explained Ember as she used her guitar to send a skull beam his way. "We're just having a little fun to pass the time!"_

_*Around the end of the fight*_

_Danny transformed back into his ghost self and flew up to find his opponent. Ember rose into the air as well. It didn't take long for one to find the other and they met up. When they did, their expressions softened with a smile and the two laughed._

_"Not bad," said the giggling pop princess. "Not bad at all Dipstick."_

_"You're pretty strong yourself," complimented the halfa chuckling a bit. "Even without the power up from screaming fans."_

_She placed a hand on her hip and stuck out her fist towards him before saying, "Got that right and don't you forget it. Or there will be an encore beat down waiting for you."_

_Danny put his hands out in front of him in a show of not wanting to cross her again. Then he replied, "Ok. I got it. You're tough. Now can we finally get out of this rain and go back to my house?"_

_"On one condition," answered Ember with a coy smile._

_"I don't like the sound of that..." gulped Danny._

_[Memory 9]_

_Ember laughed sitting on his bed while pointing a finger at him._

_"Carry on my wayward soooooon!" sang Danny into a microphone. "There'll be peace when you are done! Lay your weary head to reeeeeeest! Don't you cry no more!"_

_After taking a sip of the hot cocoa in her hand, the ghostly diva shouted, "Come on babypop! I wanna hear you bring the house down!"_

_"All right. You asked for it. ONCE I ROSE ABOVE THE NOISE AND CONFUSION! JUST TO GET A GLIMPSE BEYOND THIS ILLUSION!"_

_"Now that's what I'm talking about!" cheered the flame haired ghost. "Keep it loud and proud!"_

_"I WAS SOARING EVER HIGHER! BUT I FLEW TOO HIGH!"_

_Then the halfa pointed to his eyes._

_"THOUGH MY EYES COULD SEE I STILL WAS A BLIND MAN!"_

_Next Danny pointed to side of his head next._

_"THOUGH MY MIND COULD THINK I STILL WAS A MAD MAN!"_

_Right after, he placed his hand behind his ear._

_"I HEAR THE VOICES WHEN I'M DREAMING! I CAN HEAR THEM SAAAAAAY!_

_And at this point, the teen hero improvised to the pop princesses' surprise._

_"REMEMBER THE GIRL NAMED EMBER MCLAAAAIN! ONCE YOU MEET HER YOU'LL GO INSAAAAAANE! WATCH OUT CAUSE SHE'LL BRING THE PAAAAAAAIN! SHE'LL MAKE YOU CRY A LOT!"_

_"Oh yeah?" remarked Ember finishing the last bit of cocoa in her cup before standing up and conjuring a microphone into her hand. "That's how you want to play it? Well two can play that game. DIPSTICK THINKS HE'S A HERO BUT HE SUCKS BIG! WITH MY HANDS I COULD BREAK HIM LIKE A SMALL TWIG! AND IF HE CLAIMS THAT I AM LYING, WELL! THEN THAT MEANS WE WILL FIGHT AGAIN! I'LL DRAG HIM OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN LIKE BEFORE! HE WILL GET A TASTE OF A BEATDOWN ONCE MORE! I'LL RAINDOWN ON HIM LIKE A DOWNPOUR! WOULD BABYPOP LIKE TO PLAAAAAAAY!?"_

_Danny backed away as he shook his head with a nervous smile. She smirked in satisfaction at his response and the two continued the original song together with, "CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON! THERE'LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE! LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REST! DONT YOU CRY NO MORE! NO!"_

_Danny and Ember closed the gap between them before singing more to their hearts' delight._

_"CARRY ON, YOU WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER! CARRY ON, NOTHING EQUALS THE SPLENDOR! NOW YOUR LIFE'S NO LONGER EMPTY! BUT SURELY HEAVEN WAITS FOR YOU! CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON! THERE'LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE! LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REST!"_

_Then Ember allowed Danny to sing by himself, "DON'T YOU CRY!"_

_Next Danny allowed Ember to sing by herself, "DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!"_

_Finally, they looked each other in the eyes and raised their voices to the max with, "NO MORE!"_

_Smiling at one another after the duet was finished, they took in several deep breaths._

_"Wow..." panted the pop princess. "You got a set of lungs underneath that... scrawny build of yours._

_"I'll have you know... I'm not scrawny," corrected the halfa. "My clothes... just make me look that way."_

_[Memory 10]_

_"Can I ask you something?" asked Danny after his facial expression had softened._

_Sensing that the direction of their conversation was heading in a different direction, Ember folded her arms. "What is it?"_

_"It's about what Clockwork told me about you."_

_"Hold on. This is about all that junk you repeated to me during our fight right?"_

_"Yeah."_

_She turned away from him and stated, "I don't wanna talk about it."_

_"But its true though right?"_

_The ghostly diva didn't reply at first but after feeling the stare from the halfa for a good minute or two she let out a sigh and answered, "Yeah... it's true."_

_"...Sorry."_

_"What are you sorry for?" asked Ember after looking over her shoulder. "You didn't kill me."_

_Scratching the side of his head, he explained, "I know but I insulted you during our fight. I said you were sad, miserable and cold-hearted."_

_"You also called me an attention hog."_

_"Not apologizing for that one. You and I both know its true."_

_"(Can't argue with that. I do love the spotlight.)"_

_"Well anyway, it was wrong of me to say those things and I apologize."_

_She turned around to face him again and could see that he was being sincere with his apology._

_"Don't worry about it," said the flame haired ghost. "It's water under the bridge."_

_Danny nodded with a smile and it made the ghostly diva feel uncomfortable on the inside so she looked away._

_[Memory 11]_

_Then after a few seconds a question came to mind. "How come you let me go the other day?"_

_"What?"_

_"You know, after Skulker and I battled you. Why'd you let me go?"_

_The halfa looked up in thought before answering, "I don't know to be honest."_

_"You expect me to buy that?" said the pop princess while folding her arms._

_"I wish I could tell you differently but I cant," shrugged the halfa. "I don't know why I did that. It was more of my instincts guiding me than my brain coming to that decision."_

_"Your instincts? So it wasn't anything else?"_

_"Nope. That's pretty much it."_

_She looked down to the side in thought. Then she asked, "So... what are your instincts telling you now?"_

_"Nothing."_

_"You're not worried that I might try to attack you while your guard is down?"_

_"No."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I trust you wont."_

_"But why is that? Why would you trust me, your enemy?"_

_"What's with the sudden interest in how I think and feel?" asked the halfa realizing that he was being bombarded with a string of questions. "What does it matter to you?"_

_The pop princess grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him in close to her face as she growled, "Because you annoy the crap out of me!"_

_Taken aback by her reaction, Danny looked at her like she was crazy._

_"How can you act normal around me after I helped kidnapped your family and friends!? How can you stand to be around me after I tried to take over the world so many times!? Why do you trust that I'll keep my word when I've done nothing but make your life a living hell!?"_

_"It's because I believe there's some good in you," answered the teen hero._

_"Good in me? HAHAHAHA!"_

_Ember let go of his shirt and laughed hard while clutching her sides. Danny continued to look at her seriously without being bothered by her outburst._

_"I didn't think you could make me laugh so hard but you proved me wrong dipstick. Trust me when I tell you that there's no part of me that's good."_

_After noticing that he wasn't saying anything, Ember stopped laughing and her smile faded._

_"Why are you looking at me like that?"_

_"It's because I know when someone is lying to themselves," said Danny._

_[Memory 12]_

_"Finally worked up the courage to throw down?" asked the pop princess about 5 feet away from him._

_"Something like that," answered the halfa unfolding the piece of paper in his hand before clearing his throat._

_"What are you..." started the flame haired ghost seeing the sheet while raising a brow._

_"Forgive me. I'm such a dumb guy. I'm sorry. I don't want to fight. I stung you... like a spike. I'm clueless... Let me make this right."_

_"That sounds like..." blinked Ember in confusion as she witnessed Danny singing._

_"What can I do? Show me the light. Tell me please. Shout it to the sky. Danny Phantom. I was wrong. Sorry. Please accept my song. I'm foolish... and a dipstick. I'm stupid... my skull's too thick. I'm tortured... it makes me sick. I'm the jerk... to a cool chick."_

_When Danny was done, he waited to see what she would do._

_"My song," uttered the stunned pop princess before shaking her head clear. After noticing Danny was staring at her she stated, "You think because you wrote some apology in the same rhyme scheme as my song that I would automatically forgive you? Dream on."_

_Danny swallowed and Shadow whispered in his ear to help him out. Then the halfa repeated, "I um... had a feeling you wouldn't forgive me. Even while I stayed up through the night writing this, something told me that this was a mess I couldn't clean up. And if that wasn't an indication, the butt- kicking I got from you this morning was."_

_"(Through the night?)"_

_And that's when Ember remembered Danny's tired face upon her opening the door to her lair that morning. She was too filled with anger to see it clearly before, but now she could see that the heavy bags under his eyes were still there._

_"But still," continued the teen hero. "I wanted you to know that I was wrong for what I did and I will never forgive myself. Enemies or not, this will haunt me for the rest of my life."_

_Shadow finished whispering into Danny's ear at that moment. Clenching her fists tight, the pop princess growled and it made the halfa wince._

_"Give it," she ordered._

_"Huh?" blinked the halfa opening his eyes._

_"The paper. Give it to me." explained Ember extending a hand out._

_Confused but not wanting to anger her any more, he handed the note to the pop princess. She looked the handwriting up and down while Danny waited for her to respond._

_When Ember was done, she commented, "I see you left out the part about us hanging out."_

_"It was um..." stammered Danny scratching the side of his head. "Wishful thinking at the time I wrote it but now I know better."_

_Raising a brow, Ember asked, "What are you trying to say? You regret hanging out with me and wouldn't ever do it again?"_

_Shaking his head frantically, Danny answered quick, "No! That's not what I...!"_

_"Calm down babypop," giggled the pop princess now smiling. "I'm just yanking your chain."_

_[Memory 13]_

_Skeptical, Dan raised a brow before pressing his younger half with, "Are you serious? You care about your enemies? The same enemies who tried to waste you over and over again? That made your life a living hell? The ones who refuse to show appreciation for what you've done for them? The ghosts who don't care if you have time to study or get enough sleep at night? Ones like her?"_

_Dan pointed at Ember who looked away feeling ashamed at his words._

_"Especially ones like her," reaffirmed the teen hero._

_The pop princess blushed not expecting him to admit something like that._

_"Hahahaha!" laughed the evil ghost from the future. "You've grown softer than I've realized!"_

_"No," responded Danny which made Dan stop laughing. "I'm just not as heartless as you."_

_[Memories End]_

"(Why does he have to be so annoying and good all the time!?)" thought Ember clenching her fists tight while biting her lower lip.

An explosion followed disrupting Ember's thoughts. The pop princess saw Danny dropping out of a cloud of smoke before crashing onto a rooftop and reverting back to his human form. As he struggled to get on his feet again, Dan overhead aimed his hand down and it glowed a menacing dark red. Ember knew right away what was about to happen and moved faster than she ever had in her entire afterlife.

"Goodbye past me," said Dan. "Its been nice knowing you."

Danny looked up before sweatdropping at the sight of the deadly glow. He tried to transform in order to fly away but he was too weak. But then...

"Take this!" shouted the ghostly diva.

Dan turned his head at the last second as the pop princess hit him with a skullbeam that sent him flying. Unfortunately, his hand shifted once he was struck and a powerful dark red laser beam shot out of his palm. In its path was the unsuspecting flame haired ghost known as Ember Mclain.

* * *

AN: If you look at the cover you will see what Dan looks like in his new form.

Also, the next chapter will be posted within the next 3 days.


	38. Just Desserts

From that point on, Danny heard a heart wrenching, ear tingling scream that shook him to the core. He didn't know how long it lasted but the laser died out at some point after. When it did, Danny saw something that resembled a smoking body plummeting through the air.

"No... EMBER!" shouted the halfa running and leaping off the roof he was on.

He didn't know if he had the power to transform or not. All he knew was that he couldn't let his target hit the ground. Luckily, about 12 feet from hard pavement, Danny managed to transform.

Right after, he flew fast in the falling ghost girl's direction. He was too far away. He knew it. But that didn't stop him from going beyond his maximum speed. The ghost boy was like a blur to the naked eye and because of that, he was able to catch her in the nick of time. Then he ascended and landed on the roof of a nearby building.

"Ember... C'mon Ember," he said bobbing her up and down in an attempt to wake her up. "Please Ember... say something. Ember... Wake up Ember!"

The ghost boy looked her up and down studying her features. Her hair was put out and her skin was scarred beyond belief. Not only that but her rocker jacket was gone too along with most of her hair including the part that was on fire.

She showed no signs of life. Even of afterlife for that matter.

Danny could feel the reality of Ember's condition setting in. And so he closed his eyes tight as humanly possible while lowering his head. Tears came out regardless followed by gentle sobbing from the halfa. He was like this for a while until a voice from behind broke the silence.

"Just when I think you couldn't possibly make me think any less of you," hissed Dan. "You manage to top yourself. But then again, you admitted that you care for ghosts so I shouldn't be surprised. Also, it wasn't my intention for her to get roasted by that attack. She hit me as I was about to finish you. My hand slipped and this was the end result."

"Shut up..." whispered Danny low, but not loud enough for Dan to hear.

"Although, now that I see what kind of state you're in, I can pass this off as a happy accident hehehe."

"I said shut up..." ordered the ghost boy with his voice rising to an audible pitch.

Dan blinked. Then he followed up with a chuckle before saying, "Or what? You gonna cry some more over that wannabe pop freak?"

The teen hero's body trembled as he growled low in anger.

"Oh? Somebody's getting jumpy. You feeling froggy right about now? Get over it and stay on your mopey little lilypad Daniel. Your only shot at beating me went right out the window the moment I extinguished that hotheaded musician in your arms. I guess you can say I blew out the candle. Hahaha!"

That last statement was the straw that broke the infuriated ghost boy's back.

All of a sudden, a morph ring appeared around Danny's midsection. Then it split before going up and down repeatedly.

"Huh?" noticed the wicked ghost from the future in confusion.

Ember's body floated into the air slowly outlined in green energy before gently setting down behind Danny. The teen hero faced his adversary with a river of tears tracing out of his eyes and down his face. Dan could clearly see that something had snapped inside the young half ghost teen before him. The split ring moved violently up and down the halfa's body at an alarming rate.

"(What is going on here? His morph ring isn't supposed to course wildly like that.)"

"All I ever tried to do was help people... that's all," started Danny with locked teeth. "But you... you hurt and destroy those I wanted to help... that I'm trying to help. And to tell you the truth... I wanted to help you too. But no... I see now that I can't help you. In fact, no one can."

The halfa lifted his arms a bit, tucked his elbows back, and clenched his fists tight. At that, Danny's split rings joined once more in the center of his body. Then, the ring shined green before splitting once more and going in opposite directions. When they reached their peaks, they vanished entirely. Dan's eyes widened in response to the change in the halfa's new form. Danny now donned upper body armor which also protected his shoulders in addition to displaying a black DP logo across his chest, a set of wrist bracelets, and a pair of ankle bracelets; all of which were green.

Then without warning, Danny moved fast and fisted Dan dead center in his gut. Dan's vision went out of focus and he choked out ectoplasmic blood. But Danny wasn't done yet. His buried fist glowed and propelled Dan backwards with an explosive blast. Danny took off of the roof in fury and pursued his target. Dan barely had time to get ahold of himself before Danny managed to grab hold of his leg and swing him around violently. The halfa let go and Dan crashed into the ground with a loud boom.

"Ugh..." grimaced Dan in pain barely getting an eye open to see up from the crater he was in. "How did he... AGH!"

That cry came from Danny landing on Dan's stomach with ice covered feet. Though the ice shattered upon impact.

"I'm not done with you yet," stated the halfa as both of his fists covered in ice up to the elbows. The evil ghost sweatdropped before his younger self unleashed a blinding fury of blows all over his body.

"Agh! Ugh! Urg! Ack!" exclaimed Dan jerking with each hit.

Nearly two minutes later the teen hero stopped. He could see that Dan was barely moving. But he knew that it would take more than that to quench the rage that consumed him. Danny would make sure this 'Ultimate Nightmare' felt his Ultimate Wrath. Aiming glowing green palms at his adversary, the halfa fired a point blank melee assault of ghost rays that swept over Dan like a tital wave. His opponent's shrieks picked back up where Danny left off. This continued for nearly twice as long as the former punishment.

When the ghost boy was done this time around, Dan was still and unmoving. His body was in horrible shape and his costume was torn to shreds. Though this was the case, Danny didn't regret what he did. He didn't feel sorry for this foe. Not anymore at least. Because Dan deserved what was coming to him. He deserved to feel the worst kind of pain imaginable. Even if he came up short to provide that discomfort, the halfa made sure he came close to the line in question. And so, he turned and flew out of the crater.

Making his way back to the rooftop, Danny landed and scooped Ember up into his arms bridal style.

Then he whispered, "I'm sorry I hurt you."

As soon as he was about to fly off, he heard a groaning voice from behind say, "Where... do you think... you're... going?"

The halfa turned around and saw Dan panting heavily while looking pissed off.

"I'll make sure... YOU DIE WHERE YOU STAND!"

Dan aimed his hand and it glowed a violent dark red. Then the powerful dark red laser shot out. Danny stood his ground with an unflinching gaze. The beam his adversary used had no effect as the shield around Danny protected him and the ghostly body he carried from harm. Dan gaped after witnessing such a display.

"(I-I-Impossible...!? I'm using both the power of the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage to boost my power! How could a stupid shield protect him from my attack?! Not even Pariah Dark or the Ecto Skeleton could withstand that!)"

"You should have stayed in your hole," said Danny.

A duplicate of Danny popped into existence and flew at Dan. Though stunned, Dan tried to fire another blast but it was too late. Danny's duplicate beat Dan senseless in the air with a flurry of punches, kicks, ecto blasts, freeze rays, ghost stingers, and practically everything in Danny's arsenal. At the end of it all Dan groaned with the duplicate holding him by the neck of his suit.

"I'm going to make sure you NEVER hurt another person ever again," stated the duplicate grabbing hold of Dan's ring finger and squeezing tight around the Ring of Rage. Dan hissed in pain as he felt a chilling sensation shoot through his finger. Then it happened.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" shrieked Dan.

Dan's finger along with the Ring of Rage shattered into pieces. Instantly, Dan reverted back to his old self.

"Now the other," said the duplicate as his hand went intangible. Then he forced it into Dan's body. Dan could barely breathe let alone stomach this invasive intrusion. When the duplicate was finished, he yanked his hand out and in his palm was the Crown of Fire. Dan's strength cut dramatically and his body felt heavier than usual.

"Gah..." gagged the evil ghost from the future. "How did you..."

Duplicate Danny channeled his ice powers and the Crown of Fire froze entirely. Then the halfa crushed it with a clench of his glowing hand. Right after, he carried Dan over to the real Danny and dropped him harshly before his feet.

While on all fours, Dan muttered, "I can't believe... I lost to you... again."

He looked up into the younger's eyes with resentment.

"Now what? You capture me and... lock me up for the next two years? Somehow... I don't picture that working out with... Clockwork out of the picture."

"No," responded Danny. "I'm going to wipe you off the face of the Ghost Zone."

Danny's duplicate stepped around to get in front of Dan as soon as the real Danny stepped back. Duplicate Danny aimed his open palm at Dan as ecto energy gather into it.

"How ironic," reminisced Dan. "I'm in the exact... same position as my human half... right before I destroyed him. You should have seen him cowering... like a scared little puppy. My only regret was that... I didn't prolong his suffering. I should have... made him beg for mercy before his end came. Quite frankly... its what he deserved."

"What?" blinked the ghost boy along with his duplicate.

"You heard me. He deserved his fate and more."

"Why?"

"You're interested?" noticed Dan. "Fine. I might as well tell you now that I'm about to kick the after- bucket. Danny Fenton was 14 years old when he took the C.A.T's and he cheated. When Mr. Lancer found out, who did he call? Danny's parents. They met up at the Nasty Burger for a meeting. Unfortunately, things went wrong that day. You know what happened from there I assume."

"Danny lost everybody and moved to Vlad's."

"Correct. And do you know what happened when he went to Vlad's?"

"He asked Vlad to take out his ghost half and his emotions."

"Two for two. And they say you're not as bright as a fluorescent bulb."

Danny glared.

"Moving on..." muttered Dan rolling his eyes. "When the procedure was underway and the boy's ghost half was ripped out, something went horribly wrong. A whirlwind of emotions consumed the spook. The unwitting halfas in the room had no idea or knew what the heck was wrong. But I do. Little did they know, that human emotions don't mix well with those who are ghostly."

"What?" blinked Danny. "That's not true."

"Is it kid? You're going to tell a ghost what doesn't mesh well with his psyche?"

At this, the ghost boy folded to.

"Anyway, those foreign 'human emotions' paved the way for madness. As soon as his ghost half was out of it's host, it went berserk and lashed out on the one responsible for such pain. The cheese head Vlad Masters, better known as Vlad Plasmius. It turned the tables by taking hold of the ghost gauntlets and snatching Vlad's ghost out along with his evil nature.

"Then you overshadowed Vlad's ghost and became what you are. Right after, you killed the human part of yourself. I heard the story from the Vlad of your time period."

"But do you understand why I did it? Why I killed him, my former human host?"

"Because your emotions were all over the place and Vlad's evil half consumed you."

"Wrong."

Danny blinked again.

"I killed him because he cast me aside like yesterday's garbage."

"What?"

"He abandoned me!" growled Dan clenching his fists while grinding his teeth. "Once his precious friends and family were gone, I became a burden to him! I was like a rotten banana peel! Just some worthless spec of dirt that wasn't worth the time or effort!"

"No... that's not..."

"Don't you dare say that's not true!" barked Dan as he glared at his younger self. "You might come from an alternate time period but you and I both know that I'm just a tool to be used! Your ghost half is nothing more than a means to an end for you! You know it! I know it! When have you ever thought that your ghost side was like family to you?! Never! Then today you have the gall to claim that you care about ghosts! Don't make me laugh! How can you care about ghosts when you don't even treat your own ghost half like family!?"

"But you," started Danny taking a step back followed by his duplicate popping out of existence. "You could have talked to him. You could have tried to..."

"Try to what?" scoffed Dan. "Reason with him? How could I? I could barely deal with the emotions running rampant within me! Besides that, he was terrified beyond belief just by staring at what I had become! Have you ever seen a monster movie and how villagers react when laying eyes on a terrifying creature? They shoot first and ask questions never! So I played my part and became the monster! I destroyed him before he got a chance to destroy me!"

"He who?" asked a voice from not too far away.

* * *

Author Notes below...

1) Not going to lie. I got the 'Danny about to finish off Dan' idea from Dragon Ball Z Resurrection F when Vegeta was going to finish off Frieza.

2) The whole 'swoop in to catch the girl before she falls to her death' is so cliché am I right?


	39. Hearts Laid Bare

Dan and Danny looked to the side. They saw Shadow hovering there. The dark grey ghost closed the distance between them and stared at Dan.

"Who are you?" asked Dan staring back at Shadow confused.

"You mean you don't recognize me?" said Shadow. "After all we've been through together?"

Dan remained silent for a few seconds before a gear turned in his mind.

"It can't be!?" blinked the wicked ghost from the future. "What are you doing here?!"

"What are you talking about?" questioned Danny. "What's going on here?"

"This is him!" explained Dan looking at his younger incredulously. "You! The one I killed from my time period!"

"Shadow?!" exclaimed the halfa of the trio with widened eyes before shifting his gaze to Shadow. "You're me?!"

"Yeah," answered the dark grey ghost.

"But... I just don't understand! Why didn't you tell me?! Why keep it a secret from everyone?!"

"I had to or things could have ended up differently."

"You mean..."

"Yeah. I knew how things would play out."

The teen hero looked down to the non-responsive body in his arms before asking, "And Ember too?"

"Yeah."

"Shadow...! You should have... grr...!"

Dan watched in silence as Danny's temper boiled.

"Tell me something Danny," started the dark grey ghost. "What do you think would have happened if I did tell you Ember was going to bite the bullet for you?"

"I don't know, but I would have stopped her from doing it!" responded the ghost boy.

"Well I do know what would have happened. Dan here would have snuffed you out first, then her, then your parents, then your friends, and then the world would have been brought to its knees again."

"Huh?" blinked Dan. "I wouldn't have... nevermind. I probably would have done all that."

"But..." started the halfa trying to argue, but fell silent in frustration as he lowered his head.

Shadow moved and placed a hand on top of Danny's shoulder as the teen boy frowned.

"But Ember..."

"I know," nodded the mouthless ghost. "Although, this doesn't have to be the end for her."

"What?" blinked Danny raising his head. "But she's gone..."

"For now."

"For now?"

"I'll leave Clockwork to explain that to you."

Dan and Danny were caught off guard.

"Clockwork's still alive!?" exclaimed Dan and Danny simultaneously.

In the next moment, clock hands manifested and motioned in a circle. Then the master of time appeared for all to see.

"Yes. I'm alive," said Clockwork. "Or should I say after alive?"

"I destroyed you!" uttered Dan in disbelief. "Along with your lair!"

"Did you honestly believe you could destroy a ghost who can see into the past, present, and future?"

Dan growled and the master of time shifted his attention to Danny.

"I believe you and I are overdue for a private chat."

In the next moment, Danny and Clockwork were transported out of there. When they were gone, Shadow and Dan faced one another while remaining silent.

"I think we need to talk," said Shadow finally.

"And why would you think that?" asked Dan before standing up and walking over towards the edge of the roof to get a good look at Amity Park.

"Because we need to clear the air."

"Don't beat around the bush," scowled the wicked ghost from the future looking over his shoulder. "You mean a heart to heart."

"No fooling you is there?"

"Why did you cast me away?" asked Dan after turning his full body to face the other ghost.

"Because our time together was over."

"So I did become obsolete to you..."

"The opposite actually. I became obsolete to you."

Dan raised a brow as Shadow floated over to the parapet, about 3 feet away from him. As the dark grey ghost looked at the city he explained, "The reason why I asked Vlad to take you out with my emotions was so that you could be free from me. I didn't want to hold you back. I knew that my ghost fighting days were over. But that didn't mean yours had to be. You could still be Danny Phantom with or without me. Or you could live your life free from the burdens of being a hero. Whether it was in the Ghost Zone or the human world, I just wanted you to be happy."

"That's a lie!" shouted Dan clenching his fists and brandishing one in anger towards Shadow. "You never cared about me! You still don't!"

Shadow shifted his head to the side to look at his other self.

"You're wrong," denied the mouthless ghost with tears forming in his eyes. "I care about you more than I care about myself."

"W-what?" gaped Dan.

"After losing everybody at Nasty Burger, I realized I had no one left in the world besides you. You were the last remaining part of my family. The last piece that kept my heart from becoming totally empty. I didn't want to lose you. But I also didn't want to drag you down with me. And so, when I stepped on Vlad's doorstep I made the choice to let you go. Even if it meant creating a bigger hole in my heart, I put your happiness ahead of my own feelings. I am sorry for how my emotions made you go crazy. Had I known, I wouldn't have done that."

In the next moment Dan flew over and grabbed Shadow by the neck. While squeezing tight, he demanded, "Why did you have to play the martyr?! Why couldn't you just be selfish for once and keep me around?!"

"I guess... even without ghost powers... Danny Fenton would do anything... for his... family."

Dan growled once more before releasing the dark grey ghost to cover his eyes with a hand. While doing that, he uttered, "You know, if I had an ounce of humanity left..."

"I know and its ok."

From Clockwork's realm staring into a time window...

"Is Dan... crying?" blinked Danny in shock.

"No," answered Clockwork. "But he would if he could."

The window went blank and Clockwork shifted to face Danny.

"Now, I believe we have business to attend to regarding miss Mclain."

Danny glanced at the face of the pop princess in his arms.

"Shadow said that this doesn't have to be the end for Ember," said the halfa glancing at the face of the ghost girl in his arms. "And that she was only gone for now."

Clockwork smiled at the teen boy.

"So its true?! Ember will come back?!"

"That depends entirely upon you Daniel."

"What do you mean?"

"There is a way to restore Ember to what she was before her timely accident. However, it could prove costly."

"I don't care about that! Please just tell me how I can bring her back."

The master of time aged into his old form before saying, "There is a ghost named Pandora. I'm sure you two are well-acquainted."

"Yeah. She lives in Acropolis."

"Show her the body of miss Mclain and I'm sure she will be able to point you in the right direction."

Danny nodded and flew out the door with Ember in arms.

"(Don't worry Ember.)" thought the ghost boy. "(I'll do everything I can to bring you back.)"

* * *

Author's Notes Below...

1) Seven more Chapters and the Ultimate Nightmare will be laid to rest.

2) Stick around til the end or you will miss my biggest secret.


	40. Ultimate Offering

Upon arriving at the door belonging to the very tall Pandora, Danny rang the bell. When the entrance barrier came open...

"Who dares...!" started the tall ghost woman but glanced down and saw Danny. Then a friendly smiled formed instantly on her face. "Danny Phantom. Its wonderful to see you again. How may I help you?"

The halfa looked down glumly at the body in his arms and answered, "Hopefully, you can help me her."

Pandora's smile went away and she asked, "What makes you think I can assist you with her condition?"

"A ghost named Clockwork said that..."

"Clockwork? Well why didn't you say so? Come in and I will tell you all you need to know."

She stepped to the side and the halfa came in. A minute later, Danny found that he was in a comfortable private room with no windows. The only light that came into the room was that of lit torches aligning the walls which blazed fiery purple.

"Since Clockwork sent you then that must mean he has deemed you worthy of learning the secret which few ghosts have had the honor of knowing. But before I tell you, you must swear not to utter this knowledge to anyone. Not your friends, not your family, no one at all."

"I swear," said the ghost boy. "So what's the secret?"

"The secret is the pit. Within lies a liquid that can restore the souls of those who have fallen."

"Really?! So it will help Ember?!"

"Yes."

Danny smiled before asking, "So where can I find this pit?"

"I will show you the way. But I have to advise you to stay out of sight on our venture."

Danny nodded and the two turned invisible before flying off.

About 30 minutes later in the far outskirts of the Ghost Zone due east, Danny and Pandora landed on a long stretch of land that was a barren wasteland with one tall dried up husk of a tree in the middle of it all.

As they turned visible, the ghost boy asked, "This is it?"

"Yes," said the tall ghost woman.

"But there's nothing around here except dead land and a withered tree."

"Appearances can be deceiving young one."

Pandora walked forward and Danny followed with Ember in arms. They made it to the tree and Pandora placed her hand on it.

"Your hand Danny Phantom."

"Huh? Oh, ok. But how am I..."

Pandora took Ember from him with one of her extra arms.

"Thanks."

Danny put his hand on the tree.

"Sun setting. Moon rising," chanted Pandora. "Seasons changing. Time passing. Tree from long ago, take us to the realm of everlasting."

Before Danny had time to question the chant, he plus Pandora was pulled into the tree by a strong force.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!" yelled the ghost boy.

It felt as if the halfa was being sucked into a Fenton Thermos. Only it was longer and more uncomfortable. Almost a minute later, he fell hard onto a grassy plane.

"Ugh..." groaned Danny. "Remind me to take the subway next time..."

"Sorry," apologized the Acropolian. "I forgot to warn you to hover at the end."

Danny picked himself up and got a good look around. He noticed that they were standing in a grass field instead of the wasteland from before. And not only that, but the tree in the center of it all was decorated with leaves.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say this is a better version of the spot we just left," commented the teen hero.

"They are one and the same," responded an unknown voice from above. "And yet not the same but one."

Pandora and Danny looked up. In the sky was...

"Is that the grim reaper?!" sweatdropped Danny with widened eyes.

Whoever it was was disguised in a dark cloak with a scythe in hand. His face could not be seen and yet his red eyes glowed beneath the hood. The hand that held the scythe was that of a skeleton. He also had a light grey tail sticking out from the bottom of the cloak. The scythe's handle was composed of a long bone.

"Some have referred to me by that title and that title has been my reference."

The being descended and landed... er floated a few feet away from them.

"State your name and your claim. And claim the name of your state."

"Uh... why is he talking like that?" asked the ghost boy pointing his thumb to the Grim Reaper.

"This is how he speaks child," explained Pandora. "Just tell him your name and your purpose for coming."

The halfa nodded and faced the grim reaper before saying, "My name is Danny Phantom and I want to bring back a friend of mine."

"The pit is what you desire?" questioned the cloaked ghost. "And your desire is the pit?"

"Yeah."

"If you wish to use the pit, then you must trade a gift. A gift is what you must trade for your wish is to use the pit."

"A gift? Like what?"

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a body for a body, and a soul for a soul. Of equal value, no less no more. No more or less, but equal value. Soul for soul. Body for body. Tooth for tooth. Eye for eye."

"I have to trade a soul to get hers back?!" blinked Danny.

"This is why the pit is kept a secret Danny Phantom," frowned Pandora. "Many would sacrifice others in order to use it for their own selfish gain. I wish that it were not so but evil is constantly present in both your world and my own. Very few beings such as yourself are willing to brave the darkness rather than succumb to it."

"Brave the darkness..." muttered the teen hero as he remembered something...

And that's when Danny remembered something...

_[Memory Start]_

_"I'm not gonna lie to you. She's probably pissed at you and knowing her, its not gonna go away anytime soon. However, there is light at the end of the Mclain tunnel. But... are you willing to brave the darkness to reach it?"_

_"Of course I am."_

_"You sure? Even if it means giving up your own life for her?"_

_Sweatdropping a little, Danny asked, "My own life? You mean I might... die?"_

_"That's exactly what I mean. So are you sure you want to help change her?"_

_Thinking hard for nearly a minute, the halfa came to a decision with a determined face._

_"I'm sure," answered the teen hero. "Now what do I have to do?"_

_[Memory End]_

Danny looked into the face of the ghost rocker Pandora held.

"Ok," said the teen hero coming to a decision. "I'll give my soul in return for hers. Sounds good to you grim reaper?"

The grim reaper nodded and tapped his scythe against the ground once. A circular hole opened up and expanded until it was big enough to fit at least two people. Within it green liquid bubbled.

"Soul offering, make your way into the pit with the lost," said the cloaked ghost. "Lost with the soul offering, make your way into the pit."

"Are you certain this is what you wish to do ghost child?" questioned Pandora. "To make the ultimate sacrifice for this ghost girl?"

"I am," said Danny holding out his hands to Pandora.

"Very well," nodded the tall ghost woman handing Ember's body over. "It has been a great honor to know you."

Danny nodded with a smile before making his way to the bubbling liquid. He looked to the grim reaper and asked, "Is this piping hot?"

"The pit vexes not with hot nor cold," answered the scythe carrying ghost. "Neither hot, neither cold. The pit vexes not."

Once that confirmation was spoken, the halfa looked at Ember once more before hopping into the pit filled with green liquid.

* * *

Author's Notes Below...

1) I have bad news and I have good news. The bad news, my laptop won't boot up or start-up or whatever the correct term is supposed to be. Basically, I turn it on, get this "loading sequence", it restarts itself, and repeats the process. The good news, I was paranoid enough to copy "important stuff" like my fics on flash drives so YAY PARANOIA and thank God!

2) Yes, I got the pit idea from Batman/DC. Only I put my own spin on it.

3) I'll try to put the next chapter out within the next 2-3 days.


	41. Fire's Search For Ice

Sometime later...

"Uuuuuugh..." groaned Ember. "Did I fall offstage?"

The pop princess sat up shaking her head. Ember scanned the room with her eyes upon not recognizing where she was..

"Where the heck am I?"

"Ah miss Mclain," said a calm voice. "You're finally up."

"Huh?"

From out of nowhere appeared Clockwork.

"Clockhead? What in the...?"

"If you want answers, follow me."

Clockwork floated out of the room through the only exit.

"Hold up!"

Ember jumped up and ran out after him. Almost a minute later, she caught up to him in the main part of his Clocktower.

"This is your pad? I didn't know you had guest rooms."

"Contrary to popular belief, I do." said the enigmatic ghost. "Although, I rarely get visitors who stay overnight. But in your case, three nights."

"What?!" gaped Ember. "I've been here three days?!"

The master of time nodded as he became really young.

"How did I get here anyway? I don't remember coming here. In fact..."

The pop princess remembered the fight with Dan, then Danny being in trouble and after that a dark red beam engulfing her completely followed by...

"I remember... saving dipstick and getting hit by that ecto beam. I guess it wasn't as strong as I thought it was."

"Actually," started the master of time. "The attack was so powerful that it extinguished the flame of your afterlife."

"Huh? But... if it did me in then how am I here?"

"You were resurrected."

"I was? By who? You?"

"Not me. Daniel."

"Phantom?" blinked the pop princess and Clockwork nodded in response before turning into an adult looking ghost. Then Ember asked out of curiosity, "He can bring ghosts back?"

"Lets just say he found a way and we'll leave it at that."

"So I'm guessing he kicked Future Dipstick's butt while I was out," assumed the ghost diva placing a hand on her hip.

"Would you like to see the highlights?" smirked Clockwork.

"Don't mind if I do."

The time window displayed the scene of when Danny was about to get blasted and Ember recognized it right away. As soon as the Ember in the window saved Danny, the beam caught her by surprise. The sight of it made the pop princess flinch. Although, it didn't last long because the next set of events caused her eyes to widen.

"No way... babypop is crying because of what happened to me?"

"He is indeed," nodded the master of time.

"I didn't know he cared that much about me."

"Keep watching and you'll see how great of an impact you have on him."

Now she was witnessing the scene of Dan exchanging words with Danny from the roof. As soon as the pop princess saw the morph ring and how crazy it reacted after splitting, both of her brows raised in astonishment. Though her jaw dropped once the morph ring turned green and Danny's ghost form donned armor.

"What is that?!" exclaimed Ember.

"Daniel's form had powered up once Dan had spoken negative words about you," explained Clockwork.

"You mean, babypop got stronger because Future Dipstick trashed talked me?"

"Yes."

And that's when Danny proceeded to beat Dan into next week.

"Holy mother of rock and roll!?" gasped the flame haired girl. "He's walking the dog and taking out the trash with that guy!?"

"He made Daniel 'very' angry," said the time master. "Angrier than he's ever been in his whole life."

The pop princess didn't know how much more she could take. Her mind was blown beyond what she was used to experiencing. After Danny had destroyed the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, Clockwork's time window went blank.

"(I can't believe it...)" thought Ember in astonishment. "(He did all that because of me... because I got hurt. But...)"

Then she turned to face Clockwork.

"Where is he?"

"Daniel?" asked Clockwork.

"Yeah. I need to talk to him."

"I'm not sure that is a good idea miss Mclain."

"Why not?"

"He's out of commission."

"Out of commission? What is that supposed to mean?"

"As I said, he's out of commission. But if you wish to visit him, I can take you to where he is staying."

"Do it."

Clockwork nodded. Then the two transported and were now in the hall of a hotel. And that's when Clockwork explained, "He's in the room right next to us."

"Ok," nodded Ember about to phase through the wall but Clockwork extended his staff in front of her.

"Hold your horses."

"What now?"

"It would be best if you knock and ask for permission. After all, the boy and his family lost their home because of recent events."

"Fine."

And with that, Clockwork disappeared. Ember turned to the door and breathed in some air before letting it out. Then she knocked on the door.

"Jack," called a female's voice from the other side as the sound of footsteps drew nearer. "You need to remember to take your key with you."

The hotel room door came open and wouldn't you know it, it happened to be Danny's mom.

"Wait... I remember you!" glared Maddie upon seeing Ember. "You're one of those ghosts that helped kidnap our family! What are you doing here?!"

"I came by to see your son," answered the pop princess looking away.

"What?! There's no way I'm going to let you within 10 feet of my baby boy so you can hurt him!"

"Look lady, I don't want to hurt him. I just want to see how he's holding up. That's all. Now will you let me in?"

"Yeah right! You honestly expect me to believe that!? I have a good mind to shoot you right now!"

"Its the truth!"

"Why should I trust that you're telling the truth!? How do I know you're not planning something diabolical again?!"

Ember's hair flared while she was getting frustrated with the Fenton Matriarch. Oh how it would have been so easy to beat some sense into her. But the ghost diva wasn't in the mood to make things worse so she settled on being vocal rather than physical by shouting, "Because if I was planning something, I wouldn't have knocked on your stupid door to ask for permission so I could see him!"

Maddie blinked and thought silently for a while.

When she was done, she threatened, "If so much as one hair on his head is missing out of place, I will be the Godzilla to your Tokyo young missy. Understand?"

Ember nodded and said, "Loud and clear."

Maddie stepped to the side and the ghost girl made her way in. She looked around but saw no trace of Danny.

"Down the hall and the second door to the left," said the human woman.

Ember looked to the mother and nodded in acknowledgment before moving to the specified location. She twisted the nob and pushed the door open. Right after, she spotted Danny lying in bed under the covers.

"(There he is.)" thought Ember.

The pop princess approached the bed carefully while leaving the door open for Maddie's sake.

As soon as she was by his side, she commented, "Looks better than the last time I saw him." Then a small smile formed on her face. "(And he does look kinda cute now that I think about it. Wait, why am I thinking that?)"

Ember shook her head clear.

"(Ok, let's just forget about that and wake him up.)"

She placed a hand on his shoulder before shaking him gently.

"Hey, dipstick. Guess who decided to make a house call?"

But the boy didn't wake.

"(Hm. Must be a heavy sleeper.)"

She attempted to wake him from his sleep again.

"Alright Phantom. You had enough shuteye."

Once again, the teen didn't wake.

"(What the heck is going on?)"

She yet again tried to wake the halfa up, though with a little more force than the previous try.

"Dipstick... You better not be pulling my leg right now because I'm not in the mood."

Other than the teen hero's head falling to the side, Ember's effort bared no fruit.

"(Ok. That's weird. Nobody crashes that hard. Not even ghosts.)"

To make sure he wasn't really 'pulling her leg', Ember pulled his eyelids open. As soon as she did...

"I must be blind because it doesn't look like anybody's in there..."

"That's because nobody is."

The voice made Ember jump and turn around fast. Maddie was at the doorway with folded arms and a frown.

"Geez you almost gave me a heart attack!" started the pop princess before realizing something. Then she raised a brow and asked, "Wait, what did you just say?"

"I said he's gone."

"Huh? What do you mean gone?"

The woman at the door looked down out the corner of her eye before asking, "So you don't know?"

"Know what?"

Some tears came out of the matriarch's eyes as she explained, "My baby boy passed on."

Upon hearing that, Ember felt a sick feeling inside her gut.

"No..." said the pop princess shaking her head. "He can't be gone. I can see him breathing right now."

"His body might be alive but he's... not there."

"He was alive! I saw it!" stated the ghost diva as her hair flared wildly. "He beat that evil version of himself! There was no way that that loser could have...!"

"I was told the same thing although I didn't see it see it for myself," cut in Maddie wiping her eyes dry. "However, I was also informed that Danny went somewhere after the battle. A place where he could sacrifice himself to bring back some poor girl who got caught in the crossfire of his fight."

And that's when Ember remembered her conversation with Clockwork...

_[Memory Start]_

_"Actually," started the master of time. "The attack was so powerful that it extinguished the flame of your afterlife."_

_"Huh? But... if it did me in then how am I here?"_

_"You were resurrected."_

_"I was? By who? You?"_

_"Not me. Daniel."_

_"Phantom?" blinked the pop princess and Clockwork nodded in response before turning into an adult looking ghost. Then Ember asked out of curiosity, "He can bring ghosts back?"_

_"Lets just say he found a way and we'll leave it at that."_

_[Memory End]_

"No... he didn't... he couldn't...!" muttered Ember clenching her fists tight as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

Maddie eyed the ghost with concern before asking, "Are you ok?"

Ember turned away before going intangible and flying out the room. Hovering in the sky over the hotel, the ghost girl's tears came like water out of a faucet as she shouted, "CLOCKWORK! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE! I KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING!"

Without wasting much time, the master of time appeared across from her with a serious gaze. Ember pointed at him like she was accusing him of doing something wrong once he had.

"You knew... and you didn't say anything!"

The enigmatic ghost didn't respond.

"You knew he gave up his life to bring me back! Why did you let him do that!?"

"Everyone is entitled to make their own choices miss Mclain," stated Clockwork. "Just as you made your decision to protect Daniel from his future self during your battle."

"So!? That was a fight and we had each other's back! Plus, I didn't know I was gonna take a hit like that! But he knew he wasn't going to live after what he did! And you let it happen!"

"Tell me, if you had known what would happen before saving Daniel, would you have made the same decision?"

The pop princess clenched her fists tight with a growl. Seconds after, she turned before flying back inside the hotel. Landing inside next to the bed, Ember broke down and buried her face into his chest.

"Why babypop?" questioned the ghost girl. "Why?"

Upon seeing Ember's display, Maddie was fully convinced that the ghost before her son wasn't there to cause trouble. And so, she left quietly to let the girl grieve in peace.


	42. Order Up

The next day, the flame haired ghost girl snored lightly with the side of her head lying next to the halfa. A few seconds pass and the teen boy stirred into consciousness. After Danny sat up, he yawned. When his eyes came open, the first thing those baby blue peepers noticed was Ember's face. At first, he was surprised but then his lips formed into a warm smile. "(She looks kinda cute when she's not hostile. Wait, did I just think that Ember's cute?)

The halfa shook his head.

"(Ok, let's just forget I ever thought that and wake her up.)"

The boy was about shake her awake but then a thought came to mind which stayed his hand temporarily.

"(Or maybe I should take the creative approach. After all, how often do I get a opportunity like this?)"

Motioning a finger, the halfa proceeded to flick her earlobe gently. The ghost girl's head shook slightly. Almost laughing, the teen hero gently flicked the earlobe again. The girl's head shook slightly again but this time her face showed mild annoyance.

"Mmm... cut it out..." mumbled the sleeping ghost.

The dark haired boy covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. His finger moved towards her ear again but this time, the halfa flicked the earlobe back and forth repeatedly.

The pop princesses' hand moved quick and gripped the boy's wrist as her face showed irritation. Her eyes fluttered open as she wearily stated, "Ugh... trying to sleep here..."

"Sorry," apologized the teen boy.

Catching sight of the halfa, she replied, "That's ok..."

Then she yawned before closing her eyelids with a smile. It took almost 10 seconds before her eyes popped open in shock. When they did, she could see him smiling at her.

"Danny?!"

'Hey," smiled Danny.

Without a second thought, Ember rose from her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck tight. Then she confessed, "I thought you were gone!"

Nearly choking, the dark haired teen replied, "Its good... to see you too. Also, did you just... call me by... my actual name?"

"Nevermind that," dismissed the pop princess separating before giving him a serious look. "How are you alive?"

The ghost boy looked down in thought before saying, "I don't know. After I..."

The halfa paused mid-sentence after remembering the oath he made.

"...did the thing that brought you back, I thought that I was gone for good."

The pop princess raised a brow but didn't press him. So instead she choose to ask, "So um... how are you feeling?"

"Fine I guess," shrugged Danny before his stomach growled. "And a little hungry though."

"Say no more. I'll get you some grub."

"Uh... you don't have to do that," said the teen boy motioning to slide from under the covers. "I can..."

"No," protested Ember placing a hand on his shoulder. "You stay in bed. I got this handled."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Just name it and I'll get it for you."

"Ok... a cheeseburger and some fries sounds good."

"Check and check. Want a pop too?"

"Root beer if its not too much trouble."

"Its not. Be back in a sec."

The pop princess went intangible and flew out of the room. When Danny was sure she was gone, he asked himself, "Did I wake up in an alternate dimension?"

Switching over to Ember who had just landed outside of Nasty Burger before running in the door. Little did she know, a long line was already there.

After facepalming, she groaned, "You've got to be kidding me...!"

"Is that Ember Mclain?!" exclaimed a nearby person.

Ember lowered her hand and realized none other than Dash Baxter was standing in line.

"Hey! You're like the coolest chick I know! Can I get an autograph?!"

"Not now fanboy," frowned the ghost girl. "I'm kinda busy."

"Ah man..."

After a minute, the line moved forward but not by much.

"This is taking too long..." muttered the flame haired diva. "Maybe I should overshadow someone..."

"What?" blinked the jock trying to catch what she was saying.

"I said this line needs to get a move on."

"Oh... Do you like have somewhere to go in a hurry?"

"Something like that..."

"So... what would you do for somebody who can get this line moving?"

"Almost anything."

"Like an autograph?"

"Sure," shrugged Ember. "Why not?"

"Hold that thought."

The quarterback stepped out of line to go to the front and climb atop the cash register/serving counter.

"Alright everybody, listen up!"

The people in the restaurant looked towards the jock.

"Step out of the way and let that hot chick in the back cut in front of you."

Nobody budged. Then Dash pounded his fist into his open palm. Immediately, everybody in line stepped either right or left.

"Hm," smirked the pop princess. "Not bad."

She went to the front and ordered her food.

Right after paying for everything and receiving her order, she asked Dash, "What do you want me to sign?"

"Can you wait while I go to my car?" asked the ecstatic jock.

"Don't take too long."

Dash ran out the restaurant and came back before a full minute could pass. In his hand was a poster. Right after Ember pulled out a pen, Dash unrolled it across a table.

When her eyes fell on the picture, she blinked before asking, "What the heck is this?"

"Oh its a poster of you rocking it out with Danny Phantom," answered Dash.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just saw it online and ordered it. But now that I think about it, I think you two would look good together."

"(Me and Babypop? No way.)"

Feeling uncomfortable about the topic, she quickly scribbled her signature and put away the pen.

"Awesome!" beamed the Casper High student. "I'm gonna have this framed and everything!"

The pop princess picked up Danny's food and drink before flying off.

* * *

Response to DaniMason last 2 comments...

1) Pandora more than likely gave Clockwork Danny and Ember's bodies on her way back. From there...

2) If you're surprised by me killing Danny off, stick around til the end. More surprises are in store.


	43. On The Stand er Bed

Sometime later at the hotel...

"Don't you think that it's dangerous to be around that ghost son?" asked Jack Fenton with a frown.

"I'm telling you, Ember's not going to do anything evil dad," said Danny. "I admit that she's not exactly good but compared to most ghosts, she's a saint. After all, she helped me fight Dan and had my back through the whole ordeal. Without her, I wouldn't be here."

"Sorry I took so long babypop," apologized Ember landing in the room before turning visible. "Huh?"

The pop princess noticed Danny's mom and dad in the room. This caused her to freeze in place. Luckily for her, the matriarch of the Fentons made a quick decision and said, "Let's go Jack."

"But..." Danny's dad tried to protest but Maddie struck him with an elbow. "Oof! Oh... Right. You kids uh... have fun I guess."

The two parents left the room together. When Ember was sure they were out of hearing distance, she commented, "They're subtle as brick crashing through a window."

She approached the halfa and handed him his food.

"Tell me about it," agreed Danny. "Still, I appreciate that they gave us some space."

Ember walked over to the end of the big bed and sat close to his feet. As Danny popped a couple of fries into his mouth, she asked, "They were talking about me, weren't they?"

"That obvious huh?"

"Its fine though. They're your parents. I can't get mad at them for being wary of me. Especially after holding them hostage to get to you."

"You did that?" responded the teen hero displaying a confused look on his face while tilting his head slightly. "Geez, I never knew."

"Nice to know you're still annoying," smiled Ember a little as Danny continued eating his food. But then a question came to her mind. One which made her expression turn serious. "So... what did you do with Future Dipstick?"

"You mean after I beat him?"

The pop princess nodded.

"Nothing."

"By nothing you mean...?"

"I let Shadow take care of him."

"I totally forgot about that guy. So what did he do with him?"

"I don't know. I left with Clockwork while he was talking with Dan."

"What? Why would he talk to that guy?"

Danny sipped some of his root beer before responding with, "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" asked the flame haired ghost raising a brow.

"Remember the Danny from the future who lost everybody?"

"Yeah. But didn't Future Dipstick do him in?"

"He did but... as it turns out... he turned into a ghost and that ghost is Shadow."

"He's you?!" questioned Ember as her jaw dropped.

"It took me by surprise too," said Danny biting into his cheeseburger. "At first, I was mad at him for not telling me, but then he explained why he did it."

"Now that I think about it, you two do have a lot in common. I don't know why I never saw it before now."

"Like what?"

The flame haired girl smirked before elaborating, "You're both good at getting on my nerves and helping me when I don't even ask for it."

Danny would have argued but couldn't deny that it was true so he took another bite of his burger.

"Now that I brought it up... why did you give up your life for me?"

The halfa nearly choked before starting to pound his chest. Ember stood up and was about to help him out but Danny sipped a little of his drink which cleared up the problem.

"You ok?"

"Yeah..." sighed the ghost boy. "I was just blindsided by your question is all."

The pop princess sat down again and waited for him to say something but he didn't. As a matter of fact, he couldn't even look her in the eyes or eat.

"Look..." started the flame haired girl turning her gaze away. "If you don't want to tell me then that's fine. I don't need to know."

"Its not that... its just..." exhaled Danny. "Dan was my problem and I couldn't live with myself if you lost your life because you were trying to save me from him."

"Oh... so you were only trying to clean up a mistake I made?"

"What? No, its not that. Its just... Dan is me sorta and when he hurts someone I think that I'm the one doing the hurting. So I feel like I have to do whatever I can to own up to what I did. Does that make sense?"

"No, but I get what you're saying," said Ember turning her head back to face him. "Whether its you in the present or you of the future, you feel guilty for anything bad caused by any dipstick of any time period."

The teen hero nodded.

"And that's the only reason why you brought me back?"

"The only one I can think of. Why?"

"What about when you said all that stuff about caring about ghosts?" questioned the ghost rocker raising a brow. "You even emphasized me in the mix."

"Uh... I said that?" blushed Danny scratching the side of his head while looking away.

"Yep," smirked the ghost girl as she folded her arms. "Right before we started fighting Future Dipstick. And not only that, you cried after I took that hit from Future Dipstick. I saw it thanks to Clockhead."

Feeling embarrassed, the halfa sipped his root beer in silence as he thought, "(Clockwork, why did you have to show her that?)"


	44. The Future Testament

Later on when Danny was finished eating, Clockwork appeared in the room.

"Hey Clockwork," greeted Danny. "Something up?"

"I just wanted to share a bit of information with you and miss Mclain," responded enigmatic ghost. "If you're willing to come to my tower for a minute or two that is."

"How many times do I have to tell you to cut out the miss Mclain stuff?" asked Ember rolling her eyes.

"My apologize. And your answer?"

Danny and Ember exchanged looks before shrugging. Then the two stood up. Following that, the master of time transported them to his Clocktower.

"Okay," said the halfa waiting. "What is it?"

"Take a look," responded Clockwork directing his staff towards a time window which revealed Shadow staring back.

"Hello Danny and Ember," greeted the dark grey ghost.

Danny and Ember exchanged looks before focusing on the window.

"By now, you two know who I really am and why I kept secrets from you. Although, you don't know everything yet so I'll fill you in right now with help from Clockwork. Thanks by the way."

"You're welcome," acknowledged the enigmatic ghost.

Shadow nodded. Danny and Ember found it weird that he would communicate with them like this instead of just being there in person.

"I bet you're wondering why present Danny got a second chance while I didn't," continued Shadow. "The truth is I did get one. Rather Dan did. Clockwork approached him once before. It was right after he killed me and before he became a pain in the rear to the world. Clockwork asked Dan to work for him and become his apprentice. But you know how Dan is. He refused the offer and tried to attack him. Long story short, when you battle with the ghost of time, you better make sure you're immune to time manipulation."

"Tell me about it," agreed the teen hero. "Crashing face first into a bell repeatedly is no picnic."

"With Dan being a lost cause, he decided to give a Danny from an earlier time period a second chance."

"You mean this dipstick?" pointed Ember with a thumb at Danny.

"Yep. That one right there. And as it turns out, that Danny only needed the right motivation and guidance to overcome his darker self. Good job with the C.A.T. by the way."

"Uh... thanks?" responded the dark haired teen feeling awkward.

"Right after Danny beat Dan, he captured him in the Fenton Thermos and gave it to Clockwork. But, there was an issue with how Dan was defeated. The thermos wouldn't hold a powerful ghost like him forever. So a plan was formulated."

"What kind of plan?" asked the flame haired girl.

"A plan that involved getting you and Danny to work together."

"Us?" blinked Danny and Ember.

"Yep. Apparently, the only possible outcome for stopping Dan permanently and saving both worlds hinged upon the teamwork of you two love birds."

"We are not love birds!"

"Calm down. I was just joking. Although, it's odd how you two said the exact same thing at the exact same time... again."

Danny and Ember tried their best to avoid looking at each other.

"Anyway, back to the subject. The world was doomed in all other scenarios that didn't involve you two. So, left with no other option, Clockwork did what he did best and came up with a way to make it happen. And that way was me. Albeit, it took some time for me to be ready to help guide you two in the right direction. After all, I was for lack of a better word... lost."

"What do you mean by that?" questioned Danny.

Shadow stared at his hand and sighed before explaining, "When I died, I became a ghost. This ghost. This 'shadow' of my former self. My heart was empty, I lacked any emotions whatsoever, and I cared for no one. Not even myself really. I just wanted to be left alone and waste away in some far corner of the Ghost Zone. And I was alone for a long time too. Years in fact."

"Years?" repeated Ember in disbelief. "You mean you never chatted or hung out with anybody in that long?"

"I did not."

"Why not?"

"Mainly because I was responsible for the state of the world and I didn't think any ghost would like me all that much. Besides, I thought it was what I deserved for getting everybody I loved killed."

"That's just..."

"Sad? Yeah, it was. But I wasn't sad. I was empty. Which is a big difference. Because regardless of whatever happened, I didn't care. Not that I could; even if I wanted to. Which is why I'm glad Clockwork came when he did. He brought me out of my isolation and made a pocket dimension specifically for me to live in. In there, time goes faster than on the outside and the place can also have a serene effect on ghosts. I'm sure you remember it Ember. The Time Chamber?"

"The Time Chamber," repeated the halfa recalling something. Then he turned to the ghost girl. "Wait... I remember you coming out a door when Clockwork's place was destroyed. Was that it?"

"Yeah," confirmed Ember.

"What were you doing in there anyway?"

"Training."

"What? Seriously?"

"Yep."

"(That explains why she's different from before.)"

"Excuse me, but can we move along with this?" interrupted Shadow. "I believe Clockwork has a job to do and I'd hate to keep him waiting longer than he has to."

Danny and Ember glanced at the Master of Time who nodded.

"Sorry," apologized Danny focusing on Shadow again. "Go ahead."

"So anyway, I was in the Time Chamber for decades," said the mouthless ghost. "I knew it was that long because I lost count after the first two decades. But it was worth it. Why? Because I started to feel my heart come back to way it was. Not entirely though, but enough to say my heart was far from hollow. I cared about things and people again. But it wasn't to the same degree as when I was alive and happy. I could never regain that much of myself no matter how long I stayed in there. Some scars stay with you indefinitely. Still, when I reached my peak, Clockwork visited and explained his plan to me. Then, I humbly agreed to help him in whatever way I could. That would come in time because I had to learn a few tricks from him first. Manipulation, and teleportation being my favorites. Again, I'm sorry for the manipulation guys."

"Its ok," accepted Danny. "You had a good reason."

"What's done is done," added Ember. "As long as you don't try to pull that crap on us anymore."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that," said Shadow. "At least not from me. Am I right Clockwork?"

Shadow bounced his eyebrows up and down. The enigmatic ghost smirked.

"Moving on from there, once I learned the necessary skills, I was sent back to your era. Slowly, I incorporated myself into each of your lives. It started with introducing myself and learning about you guys on a personal level. Then, I moved onto offering advice and helpful suggestions. Next, I began to teach you things that would help you grow and mature. And finally, I presented the truth whenever it was deemed necessary."

The teen hero commented, "You've done a lot more for us than I thought."

"And here I thought you only came around to bug me," remarked the pop princess.

The dark grey ghost put on his not so real smile and confessed, "That was half the reason and I enjoyed every minute of it."

The ghost girl rolled her eyes.

"Well anyway, all I had to do from there was wait for Dan to escape, get you guys to join together and do whatever else that was necessary from that point on. You already know most of it so I won't do a review of that. However, what I'm about to say next will be something that won't make you happy. So please brace yourselves."

Danny and Ember did just that.

"I bet both of you are wondering how Danny came back to life and why I'm not there in person. Well, its because I sacrificed myself to bring him back and this is me talking to you two just before I did it."

"What?!" gaped the halfa and the ghost girl. "Why?!"

"Before I answer that, I have more to say. It wasn't just me. Dan sacrificed himself too."

Danny and Ember were floored. Clearly the two didn't know how to deal with that bit of news.

"Normally, it would take one sacrifice to bring back another person. However, since I carry only half of Danny Fenton's soul, it wouldn't be enough. That being the case, Dan offered himself up too. Because he has the other half and two halves make one whole. Math, am I right?"

Shadow inhaled followed by exhaling sharply.

"Now to explain why. Why did we sacrifice ourselves? In the words of Agent Smith from the Matrix Trilogy 'It was inevitable'. Danny Fenton was destined to die eventually. We were destined to die eventually. And so were you Danny. The Observants told Clockwork that you had to and he in turn agreed. Therefore no matter what, you and us had to die. You did but no one ever said you couldn't come back. Dan and I however, we died the same day as Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Mom, Dad, and Mr Lancer at the Nasty Burger. I accepted that after decades in the time chamber. Dan accepted that right after you gave yourself up for Ember. And as it turns out, even without his humanity, Dan had a little bit of hero left in him."

Right then, Danny had tears running out of his eyes.

Shadow showed his not-so-real smile again and said, "Don't cry Danny. I know it seems like a cruel joke and its wrong but it's not. I knew it had to be this way before I came here. It was part of the plan from the very beginning. And besides, as cool as it is being a ghost, I can't go the rest of my afterlife feeling incomplete. At least this way, Dan and I will be one and maybe we'll even feel whole. So be happy for us ok?"

The teen hero rubbed his eyes dry before putting on a smile and nodding.

"Thanks. Now to impart some last few pearls of wisdom before I go. Danny, remember that there's no sense in opening a door when the other person doesn't know that it exists ok?"

Danny chuckled and Ember raised a brow at him. The former noticed and said, "I'll fill you in later."

"Also, tell Sam not to beat herself up over slapping me. I forgive her."

"What? Why did she do that?"

"She'll fill you in after you tell her and Tucker all this. Also, tell her that I expect her to continue to grow into the smart young woman I know she'll become."

Danny nodded.

"Ember," said Shadow focusing solely on the pop princess who waited patiently. "Remember to be honest with yourself and face facts."

"I'll think about it," replied the flame haired ghost with a smirk and folded arms.

"That's better than nothing I suppose."

The dark grey ghost on screen shifted his attention to Clockwork.

"Keep an eye on these two will you?"

"As always," reassured Clockwork. "I am the master of time after all."

Shadow directed his attention back to Ember and Danny before saluting with two fingers and saying, "Bye guys. Its been fun."

"Bye Shadow," waved Danny. "Thanks for everything."

"So long Shadow Dipstick," said Ember. "I owe you one."

"Now see?" pointed the dark grey ghost in the ghost girl's direction. "That's exactly why I didn't tell you I was Danny."

After that, the window projection of Shadow went blank. As soon as it did, Clockwork transported the two back to the hotel.

"Farewell Daniel," said Clockwork.

"Bye Clockwork," waved Danny.

Clockwork then shifted his gaze to Ember and said, "I figured you would like to stick around here for a while. Was I incorrect with my assumption?"

"What do you think?" responded the ghost girl placing a hand on her hip.

The enigmatic ghost smirked and teleported out of there.

When all trace of him was gone Ember turned to Danny and asked, "So what was that doors thing Shadow Dipstick brought up?"

"It goes like this..." started Danny before giving her the full explanation.

Then the two had a long conversation about their interactions with Shadow. From the time they first met him, to that very day. They also learned a few things too. One of which made Ember mad.

"You said you cut off the crust of my sandwich because it was a sixth sense!" growled the pop princess glaring.

"Uh..." sweatdropped the ghost boy. "Sorry?"

Time skipping ahead, Danny called Sam and Tucker over. He expounded the entire story of Shadow to them. The techno geek and the goth girl were floored by the truth.

"No way...!?" gaped Tucker.

"Shadow was Danny from Dan's time period?!" exclaimed Sam.

"Now that I think about it, that does explain how he was able to get those guards at Pariah's Keep to listen to him."

And...

"He did what?!"

"I can't believe he did all that for us..." said the goth girl looking down at her feet. "Its no wonder he asked me to forgive him for what he was going to do. He planned on sacrificing himself for Danny. And here I thought he broke his promise to us when he brought you back without a soul. Now I feel bad for slapping him."

Danny placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and smiled before saying, "Shadow said don't worry about it. He forgives you."

Confused, Sam picked her head up to look into Danny's eyes before asking, "What? But how did he...?"

From there, the halfa relayed the message Shadow left behind for her which brightened Sam's spirit. When that was done, Danny told his parents the truth about Shadow and Dan. Maddie and Jack shed a tear or two after hearing about what Shadow had gone through as a ghost. Not only that, but they seemed to not dislike Dan as much as before. Albeit, they couldn't forgive him for his actions. But at least, they no longer hated him.

After everything was made known, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Ember went up to the roof of the hotel and looked at the sun setting over the horizon.

"Babypop," called Ember.

Danny turned his head to look at her.

"When you get better, we're going to throw down again. And this time, nothing will get in the way. Follow me?"

"I follow you," smiled the halfa.

And that's when the pop princess disappeared in swirling blue flames.

When she was gone, Danny sang low, "Embrace me. Hold me in your arms. Cherish me. I will warm your heart. My song will... top the charts. I'm tasty. Call me your pop tart."

His friends overheard and turned their heads to look at him before asking, "What are you singing?"

"A song I heard in my room a couple of times."

The rest he continued singing in correlation to humming. Sam and Tucker exchanged looks before shrugging.


	45. Unfinished Business

Half an hour later in the Ghost Zone...

"What did you say to me woman?" asked Skulker with a raised brow.

"I said we're through," answered Ember.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Grr...! You think you can walk out on me, Skulker?!" growled the hunter. "The Ghost Zone's greatest hunter!?"

The flame haired diva folded her arms before answering with, "Yep."

A blade protruded from the hunter's gauntlet and he positioned it by her neck. The pop princess noticed it and raised her brow at him unfazed. In the next moment, a blast of music boomed out the door of Ember's realm followed by Skulker flying out yelling, "AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Ember dusted her hands clean with a smirk before pulling her realm's door closed.

The Friday of another week...

The bell rang for school at Casper High to be over. Danny, Sam, and Tucker made their way down the hall talking amongst themselves.

"You know Sam," started Tucker. "I noticed you're scaling back on the goth persona. Why is that?"

Sam smiled before vaguely answering with, "Let's just say that an old friend from the future gave me some helpful advice."

"That friend wouldn't happen to be Shadow, would it?" asked Danny.

"Maybe," shrugged the goth girl but kept smiling.

And then a boy approached the trio from out of the herd of students.

"Hey Sam," called a male's voice as someone approached the trio from out of the herd of students.

The three stopped and turned as a guy with brown hair who also had a ponytail while wearing a long sleeve red shirt, charcoal colored jeans, and a white scarf around his neck caught up to them.

"We still on for the goth poetry slam tomorrow?"

"Yep," confirmed Sam. "Pick me up at 8?"

"Yep. See you then."

Then the two waved goodbye followed by the boy darting off in another direction.

"I don't mean to be rude but who is that guy?" questioned Danny.

"Seriously," said Tucker. "I only seen him one time and that was the day Danny got jumped by Skulker and Johnny 13."

"Oh that's just Wade," answered Sam. "He goes to third period Economics with me."

"Did he transfer here or something?" asked the halfa.

"No. He lived in Amity Park all his life."

The techno geek shrugged before assuming, "Must be one of those background students nobody pays attention to."

"So when did you two start talking?" asked the Fenton of the trio.

"About a week ago," said the girl of the group becoming suspicious. "Why?"

Danny scratched the side of his head while looking away before saying, "Its just that you never mentioned him... to me."

"Probably because the last time I dated a boy who wasn't you, you spied on me."

"But I was right about Gregor or whatever his name was."

"True, but you spied because you were jealous. Not because he was a phoney."

"She's got you there," agreed the mayor.

The halfa glared at his friend but not for long because really loud music started playing.

"What the heck is that?" asked Sam looking all around.

Then all the students in school ran towards the exit.

"I think its coming from outside," responded Tucker.

"C'mon," directed Danny before taking off followed by his two friends.

The three ran out the school doors and found a mobile stage along with some rockers playing their instruments on top of it. Then there was an explosion of blue smoke followed by a lone singer appearing behind a microphone.

"Hello Casper High!" beckoned the pop princess the trio knew so well who was pumped up with vigor.

"Ember?" noticed Sam slightly surprised.

"What's she doing here?" questioned Tucker.

Danny smiled and said, "I think I have an idea."

The teen hero stood there watching the flame haired girl raise a fist high. Everything about her was pretty much the same since the last time the group saw her except for the color of the new rocker's jacket she wore. It was black on the outside and white on the inside.

"Tell me who you love!" demanded Ember to the crowd.

The students went nuts chanting her name and Ember's hair flared wildly.

Sam shifted her attention to Danny and asked, "Um... Danny? Aren't you gonna do something?"

Danny folded his arms while enjoying the ghost basking in the spotlight before saying, "Nope."

"Why not?"

"You'll see."

Right then, Ember began singing, "Oh oh oh oh! Oh oh oh oh... OH! Oh oh oh oh! Oh oh oh oh... OH! Em-brace me~! Hold me in your arms! Cherish me~! Let me warm your heart! You strike me~! Like a car! I'm taste-ty~! Call me your pop tart!"

"Wait a minute..." said the goth girl while thinking. "Why does that song sound so familiar?"

"Yeah," agreed the Tucker. "I could have sworn I heard it somewhere before."

"Remember that day on the roof of the hotel?" reminded Danny. "When we were looking at the sunset together?"

The two friends thought for a minute and it came back to them.

"You mean that song you were singing was this one?" asked Sam surprised.

"Yep," confirmed the halfa.

"But when did you..." started the mayor of Amity Park.

"Back when Ember hung out in my room she sorta performed it in front of me."

"You never told us that," frowned the goth girl folding her arms.

"We had a lot going on at the time and it must have slipped my mind."

Then Ember's singing drowned out everything with, "You can have me~! Just hold me tight. Warm me up~! Cheer my name all night! Shout it loud~! And say it right! Love me~! Let me be your light! In dark-ness~! I'll light your way! In sor-row~! I'll dry your tears! In win-ter~! I'll be your heat! In the night~! I'll be your treat! Remember~! And don't for-get! I burn for you~! And no one else! Forget the fame~! And private jets! Be my bird~! And share my nest! My temperature~! Is rising high! Got a fever~! Up to the sky! Treat me right~! And fan my flame! Do it right~! And say my name!"

Right after that, the pop princess caught sight of Danny and his friends next to the school entrance. Upon being noticed, the teen hero saluted with two fingers. This made Ember smile and wink back in his direction. But that action by her didn't go unnoticed by Sam.

"What was that?' questioned the Manson of the trio.

"What was what?" said Danny raising both brows.

"That wink she sent to you."

"Huh? I thought she winked at all of us."

Sam placed her hands on her hips and raised a brow before saying, "Oh really?"

"Yep," smiled the halfa turning his head to watch the rest of Ember's performance. "That's the story I'm sticking to."

Later on around sunset...

Danny was playing Green Undead Remission in his room. The character he was playing as had just severed the foot of an unsuspecting bystander when all of a sudden his ghost sense went off.

"Hm. I wonder who that could be?"

Smiling as he stood up, the halfa proceeded by transforming into his alter ego and going intangible before flying up through the ceiling. As soon as he was outside hovering over Fenton Works 2.0 he asked, "Vacation or rematch?"

The ghost girl hovering across from him stated, "When I'm done with you, you're gonna need a vacation."

"Sorry. I already used up all of my saved ones. But if you come back same time next year, I'm sure we can work something out."

"I see you're still annoying as usual," smirked Ember before pulling out her guitar. "But enough with the chit-chat. Let's throw down."

"As you command your highness."

Danny's hands glowed green and Ember readied her guitar by channeling energy into it. Following that the two aimed at each other and unleashed powerful opening beams. Once the attacks had connected, a flash of blinding light exploded outward swallowing everything with its magnificence.

Meanwhile in the Ghost Zone...

The Master of Time known as Clockwork appeared before a lush green tree centered in the middle of a grassy field. He gazed upward as the grim reaper descended to the soft turf with a scythe in hand.

"State your name and your claim," recited the cloaked ghost. "And claim the name of your state."

"You can cut the act," smirked Clockwork. "No one is watching."

The cloaked figure remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "What do you want Clockwork?"

"And here I thought you'd be happy to see me after all this time Laz. How long has it been? Two? Three thousand years?"

"You know very well how long."

"Of course. I just wanted to see if you do brother."

"Close to two thousand and twenty. Now, what do you want?"

"Regarding two or shall we say one soul that visited you as of late..."

The red eyes of Laz narrowed beneath his hood.

**The End**

**Danny Phantom: The Ultimate Nightmare**

* * *

Author's Notes below...

If you made it this far and have read the whole story congratulations. Thank you for taking the time to read, follow, fav, review, and other stuff.

Now... I believe I said in the Author's Note of Chapter 39 that if you stick around till the end that I would reveal my biggest secret. The secret is I drew pictures of characters from this story. If you go to the website archiveofourown and search for this story created by the username 'akatsukisupersaiyan' you will find them posted along the chapters. They will be under these chapters...

2-6 at the top.

8-12 at the top.

14-15 at the top.

18 at the top.

22-23 at the top.

29 at the top.

34 at the top.

37 at the top.

38 at the bottom.

45 at the bottom.

Fun fact, I read a story called Resurrected Memories a while back and thought, "Hm... I think I could write a better love story between Ember and Danny." That thought basically paved the way for me to start this. FYI, that story is better than this lol.

Originally, this was supposed to be a DannyXEmber love story. But it sort of turned in a different direction once I decided to bring Dan into the picture.

The character Shadow originally was supposed to be me as a character. You probably can tell that by how the story is written around the beginning. Hence, the narration bits. Also, my username has Shadow in it so duh. But I ended up changing my mind while brainstorming ideas and watching the Ultimate Enemy episode for the trillionth time!

Speaking of Shadow, I honestly had no idea about what kind of powers to give him (excluding teleportation) to be honest. When him, Danny, and Ember were battling the Fright Knight's army, I was totally clueless about what to do with him. So I just gave him the standard ghost ray for offense.

Some people were killed at the power plant when Skulker and Ember had their plan going. It was day time when it happened so people were working there naturally.

When Maddie and Jack left Danny alone at home while it was raining, they went to install ghost shields and anti ghost security systems around town(including the Power Plant which was currently under repair). The Power Plant incident/massacre scared people into buying them. Also, Mayor Foley being attacked at his office was also key.

I originally planned on Ember sucking up Danny into the Fenton Thermos and holding him hostage until she had a change of heart. I didn't know what would trigger it though so I changed my mind and took the duplicate distracting her long enough for the real Danny to make his move route.

I don't know if you noticed but everytime someone was wronged in this story, the person responsible was punished. I did that on purpose. Danny attacked Ember with a ghost ray. She beat him up the next time she saw him. Danny gets jumped by Skulker and Johnny. I personally got angry and decided to bring Dan in to get them back.

I got the idea of Ember's red rocker's jacket from Naruto when he wore that red coat against Pein/Pain.

The idea for Danny's Ecto Booster armor was inspired by the attire of Beerus(DBS), the Saiyans(DBZ) and the Green Ranger(Mighty morphing Power Rangers). The wrist and ankle bracelets are inspired from Frieza's(DBZ) family.

Ember's long hair idea was inspired by Super Saiyan 3 Goku.

Dan was not supposed to have an 'Ultimate Nightmare' form. He was supposed to lose to Danny as he normally is. But when I started thinking about it, I said to myself, "Danny has the Ecto Boosters, Ember trained, and Dan is just... Dan? No, that's too easy. He has to power up or transform." So I did the latter and wrote his costume as black flames while his features turned a darker shade in addition to a power boost.

I never saw Dan using the Ghostly Wail in the Episode The Ultimate Enemy against Danny so I pretty much did the same in his fight with Danny and Ember. That's the only reason why I did that.

I did not plan on killing any of the main characters off in this story until I got midway through the Dan vs Danny and Ember fight.

The whole Grim Reaper/Pit thing was a last minute decision to be honest. I was thinking about ways to bring Ember back that would be believable. Clockwork reversing time on Ember's body was one of those ideas but I thought about the Lazarus Pit from the DC and decided to use that instead.

I know I might have said somewhere that I might have turned Ember into Vegeta but the truth is she was supposed to act like Ichigo(Bleach) when he learned Mugetsu to battle Aizen(This is why she swings the guitar like she does in her battle with Dan). I hope I did a good job portraying that throughout the story.

I planned on having Kitty learn how to seal the Fright Knight so she could avenge Johnny. But the whole 'Find A Pumpkin First' thing made me go in a different direction because it wasn't October story wise.

The Fright Knight is stronger than he was on the show if you couldn't tell. Although I didn't give him the Flaming Crystal Meteor because that was 10 years in the future as opposed to 2.

Ember said that she ordered a copy of Green Undead Remission thanks to paying Technus. It wasn't just her. Many other ghosts ordered the game too which is why Danny had to wait so long to get his. Also, Danny had to order another copy of Green Undead Remission because Dan destroyed his house.

I left Jazz out of this fic because I honestly didn't know what to do with her. So I just made her graduate early or something like that.

I played the GBA game Danny Phantom The Ultimate Enemy to help get ideas for this story.

Remember the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage? Well, after Pariah Dark was put to sleep again, Clockwork managed to obtain the key to the Sarcophagus and the Crown of Fire. He intentionally gave the key to the Observants(Yes he planned for Dan to wreck their realm and hurt them). He also kept the Crown of Fire in the same room as Dan so that Dan would use it later on.

Dan used the Crown of Fire to boost his power in the fight against Pariah Dark. He didn't fuse it inside of himself but placed it on his head. I didn't write that fight but it happened in this story.

Also the reason why Dan showed up after the Fright Knight was defeated was because he needed time to recover from his fight with Pariah Dark. After all, the Ghost King was no pushover.

There are two different hotels in this story. One in Amity Park and the other in a town not too far from Amity Park. The one outside Amity Park serves better food lol.

I probably will write a sequel to this. If I do manage to do that, it will have other characters who weren't in this story.

Thanks again for reading and bye.


End file.
